


Flash Fire

by DarkElements10



Series: The Flash and The Flame [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Gen, Humor, Novelization, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-02-06 09:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 40
Words: 222,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12814266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkElements10/pseuds/DarkElements10
Summary: [First in The Flash and The Flame series]. Barry Allen: The Flash, the beacon of hope for Central City who will do whatever it takes to find the man who killed his mom. Cadence Nash: Fire meta-human, teen mom with a now eight year old son, who is trying to kill The Flash. What?. With secrets and lies abound it's hard to figure out the truth. The Flash is about to get burned. Barry/OC slow burn. -Novelization of S1-





	1. Cadence Nash

**Author's Note:**

> This story and the rest of The Flash and The Flame series can be found in full (the fourth story is a work in progress) on our Fanfiction.net profile, DarkElements10. Please keep in mind this story was originally posted on FFN in October 2014 and finished November 2015, so some things need to be changed/fixed as the story goes on. I hope you guys enjoy it.

**By: Riley**

**.:1:.**

**Cadence Nash**

* * *

_Okay Barry, it's not going to be hard to get your physical done. Just make sure you stay as calm as possible and everything will be okay._

Barry Allen repeated the same thing over and over again as he signed into the doctor's office and waited to be called back to be checked. Sitting down he tried to focus on the news being broadcasted along the TV but couldn't completely focus when he was only moments away from his secret potentially being revealed.

All because Captain Singh had insisted he get a physical done.

Not only was that something he usually did through STAR Labs which he would then turn into his boss, but the CCPD had just received a new holder of their health insurance and his name needed to be on file. Not to mention how many messages he received from his normal practitioner saying he was missing appointments. But how could he go to a doctor when a heart monitor would figure out his pulse was moving too quickly to be normal?

He tried to talk his way out of it but Captain Singh held firm on his decision and forced Barry to go as soon as he was on his lunch break. Now he wanted nothing more than to be back at the office having his boss breathe down his back to get his work done.

Licking his lips, Barry managed to calm himself down, so far that his pulse weakened as well. He remembered reading that somewhere in a science journal about those who went deep sea diving. If it worked for them it could work on a metahuman.

"Barry Allen?"

The voice nearly made him jump out of his skin as he pulled his eyes away from the TV screen. How much time had passed? The waiting room wasn't as full as it had been before. Maybe he found a way to speed up time while he was waiting. Taking another deep breath, Barry got to his feet and walked over to the nurse who waited patiently for him, holding a clipboard against her light pink scrubs.

She looked to be about his age, greeting him with such a warm smile that he felt his anxiety immediately wash away. "It's good to see you in here, Mr. Allen. You seem to have missed many appointments," she stated, allowing him into the hallway right before the examining rooms.

"Yeah, I've just been, really busy." Barry reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "I have crazy work hours and they're always changing so..."

"Trust me, I understand the work hours thing, mine are changing all the time; this past week I've been working the night shift," the nurse said with a light laugh. "I'm in residency. This is my last day here before I move to work at the hospital.." She motioned for him to stand against the wall so she could record his height.

Barry did as he was told, taking off his shoes, and pressing his back against the wall and shifting his heels back as well. He watched as she reached up to pull the meter down so it rested on his head. "You're in residency?"

"Is there a problem with that?" She asked, writing down his height.

"What? No! It's just...you look really young. Not that you can't be young to be a doctor. But that must mean you're really smart to get through school and into residency." The nurse gave him a look and Barry gritted his teeth, rushing to fix his blunder. "Not that I don't think you're smart or that you don't _look_ smart. It's just...really cool," he finished lamely.

The nurse laughed. "I'm glad you think it's cool. Relax, Barry. I don't think you want a heart attack before your physical." She then motioned for him to stand on the scale which he did as well. "And if it helps you, I'm 24."

Barry let out a deep breath and waited for that to be done as well. Then he followed her to the examination room, sitting down on the table. The nurse left the room for a minute before coming back with his shoes in hand. "I think you might need these," she said.

Barry blushed, realizing he was bringing more attention to himself than he intended. Who didn't know how to act when they were going to the doctor's office? "Thank you." Barry leaned over to read her nametag. "Candace."

"Cadence," she corrected him. "Cadence Nash."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"That's alright, it's a common mistake."

"Right. Yeah, I mean, I, uh, haven't really met many people with your name. Not that it's a bad name, just unusual." He started to babble even further, hoping to dig himself out of the whole he just fell into. "Not unusual in a bad way. B-but, uh, you, uh, unique. It's unique." Barry let out a long, almost shaky breath. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Barry Allen." He squeezed his eyes shut and brought a hand up to smack himself on the forehead. Then he brought his hand through his hair. "Which you already knew because you were the one...who called me in here...yeah."

Cadence laughed and sat down on a little stool, crossing her legs at the knee. She picked up a pen and punched it along her shoulder to release the tip. "Relax, Barry, I don't bite." Barry's blush depend. "Do you have any known allergies?"

"Only to dust," Barry said.

"Past surgeries?"

"No."

"Do you smoke or drink?"

"I don't smoke but I drink every now and then. Not so much lately." Barry tried his best not to become annoyed with that fact. There were many things he could do with his incredible speed but getting drunk wasn't one of them. And sometimes he wanted nothing more than to have enough drinks to leave the stresses of the day behind.

"How often do you exercise?"

A sly smile came to Barry's face before he could stop it. "Every day."

Cadence smiled and nodded as she took down all of tee information. Then she looked over it once more before standing to type every thing into the computer. Silence stretched through the room.

_Say something, it doesn't have to be so awkward,_ Barry told himself. But he found he wasn't quite sure what to talk about. "So you decided to go into the medical field? What prompted that?" He cringed when Cadence jumped, realizing he must've yelled at her.

"The innate need to help people," Cadence replied after a moment of thinking. She turned away from the computer, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I've always been interested in making sure everyone around me is healthy and okay. Plus, I can save a lot on medical bills if I can diagnose myself." As she laughed Barry couldn't help but notice a sly twinkle in her eye. Then she caught her breath and said, "The doctor will be with you in a minute, Barry. It was nice to meet you."

"Yeah, nice to meet you too." Barry hesitated for a second then thrust his hand out towards her. Cadence looked startled for a moment, then reached out and grabbed onto his hand, shaking it firmly. Barry frowned when a tingling sensation moved through his hand, almost as if he had been shocked. It faded once Cadence dropped his hand.

She left the room shooting a peculiar glance shot his way before leaving completely.

Then the doctor came in and moved through the rest of Barry's physical which-thankfully-didn't conclude with him revealing that he was The Flash to everyone. As a matter of fact it was one of his quickest doctor visits.

Pun intended.

* * *

Later that day Barry had been running—even sprinting wouldn't be the best word to accurately describe what it was that he could do—through the streets of Central City, doing what he did best—entertaining his own abilities—when he received gotten a distress call from Cisco and Caitlin back at S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Barry, there's a fire outbreak in the forest on the outskirts of the city," Cisco Ramon said to him, voice transmitted through the earpiece placed in his hood.

"It's strange. The fire _literally_ came out of nowhere," Caitlin Snow added. Despite Cisco and Caitlin being back in the laboratory more than halfway across the city, Barry could perfectly picture their body positions. Cisco had a lollipop in his mouth, evident from the slight slurring of his words, more than likely grinning at the computer screen that tracked Barry's movements within a few feet. "Fires take time to build even from the smallest spark, but this one was like a bomb went off. It doesn't make sense, the ground is too wet from the rainfall last night to create such a blaze."

"Which we shouldn't rule out," Cisco added and Barry could detect the hint of excitement in his voice. "We've seen metahumans that can create storms and duplicate themselves, I'm sure there's a Bomber-man out there somewhere."

Barry chuckled; also able to accurately picture the stare that Caitlin slowly gave her co-worker and only friend. She was used to his antics; how excited he became whenever there was a breakthrough in a case as well as being able to show his vast knowledge of pop culture and easygoing nature that balanced Caitlin's straightforwardness.

At least someone saw what he was able to do as cool as he thought it was.

"I'm on it guys, I'll be there in two seconds," Barry said. He rapidly changed course, darting across an intersection—widely dodging an oncoming car—and raced towards the forest.

"Still, Barry, be careful," Caitlin advised. Agitation was evident in her tone. That was par for the course; it seemed that everything Barry did was enough to exasperate the brunette. "Don't forget that you're still not used to your hypoglycemia, you can conk out from exhaustion. And even then, we don't know how your speed reacts to intense heat, especially considering the amount of friction that—"

"We get it, Caitlin, you're worried," quipped Cisco.

The following silence caused Barry to smile seconds before the excruciating heat caused him to back up to a safe distance. Raising a hand and yanking off his hood, he ran his fingertips over his eyebrows. A relieved sigh escaped his lips when he felt that his hood had protected his face. _This suit has been very good to me._ The flames erupted, sending acrid, smoke as black as the night sky high into the air.

Coughing, he backed away as the smoke hit the back of his throat. His lungs instantaneously seized as he did a series of rapid coughs, increased by his superhuman speed. When they finally subsided, he squinted his eyes, straining to distinguish the source of the flames. What caused it to continue to increase in size when he couldn't get close enough to see what started it?

Or if anyone was hurt.

"Do you see anything here?"

Caitlin again.

"No, I can't get close enough! The flames, they're—"

A voice broke in behind him. "Too hot? Yeah, I think I might've overdone it a little."

As Barry watched, eyes shifting in confusion, the fire started to die down all on its own. When it was finally out, nothing remained other than a scorch on some of the tougher logs and branches, ashes littering the other portions of vegetation that couldn't withstand the heat. Turning around, Barry noticed a dark haired brunette that was about his age, standing behind him, fire flickering at her fingertips. Her eyes shifted down to the watch that rested on her left wrist.

"It's about time you got here, I expected you long before it got this big." Cadence lifted her gaze and fastened Barry with a wide smile.

"Barry, who's that with you?"

Pressing his lips together, Barry continued to stare at Cadence. His chest heaved up and down, heart beating incredibly fast. Faster than it had when he was in that coma. No. He was nervous. Someone had just found out his identity. How could he have let his guard down like that? Thinking there wouldn't be anyone around? The existence of the metahumans, the two he had already encountered not including himself, was enough so that he should've kept his guard up.

Cadence smiled as she walked over to him, hugging her overcoat tighter to her body. "Then again, you can only run so fast, right?" Continuing to gawk at her, Barry licked his lips, taking a step back. Whatever it was—maybe fight or flight instinct increased tenfold—he wasn't going to take any chances. She smiled. "Hi, Barry."

The metahuman's head tilted to the side, though it had have looked like a quick twitch as most of his movements were now rapid. "How…did you know it was me?"

"Who doesn't know you at this point?" Cadence inquired. Her eyebrows gently cocked upwards. "You were in a nine month coma after having been struck by lightning when the particle accelerator blew, but coming out of that coma…well, that's very remarkable." She looked him in the eye. "Not as incredible as a 'red blur' appearing everywhere after you woke up." As if it were fanfare, Cadence waved her hands, her hazel eyes flashing. The fire slowly dissipated. "I think I'm the only person to have made that connection. And,"--she pointed at him--"you just confirmed it for me."

Barry squeezed his eyes shut. He'd been so caught off guard by her comment that he'd allowed himself to reveal his secret like 'that'. How naive could he be? Barry continued to stare at Cadence. Earlier that day he knew her as nothing but a resident nurse and now... "How do you know so much about me?"

"Newspaper articles and just plain paying attention." Cadene lifted a hand, lips curling up into a smile as a fireball appeared over her hand. Her face glowed against the flickering light. "And you did call me smart earlier so..."

"Whoa. Wait, you did this?" Barry twisted back towards the ashes that were still slightly smoldering before looking back at Cadence. "You started this fire?" She nodded. "Why? What…what were you trying to do?"

"Meet you." The simplicity of Cadence's answer caused Barry to falter for a moment. "Relax, it was a controlled fire." Her eyes flickered as her smile widened. "I know what I'm doing. No one's going to get hurt."

"Barry," Harrison's voice came through his ear piece. "We don't know if she's there to hurt you or help you. Give us some time to gauge."

"Shouldn't we put her in the Pipeline just in case?" Caitlin asked. "Instead of letting them talk? She _knows_ who he is!"

"Trust me," Harrison said.

Barry nodded subtly so that Cadence didn't see. He then shook his head. "You could've bought me a cup of coffee or stopped me on the street," he pointed out. Then paused for a second, bobbing his head back and forth. "Heck, even given me a Facebook message."

"When you're that hard to track down? Yeah that'd work." Cadence laughed. She looked over her shoulder as sirens started to pierce the air. "And something tells me that you're not Mr. Punctual when it comes to forms of communication. You've cancelled all of your other doctor's appointments for the past few years. And as it is, I didn't know you were the Flash until we met today."

Sirens started to come closer. Barry started to sweat; knowing what would happen if he was found by the police and fire departments. Joe would, as usual, immediately start to worry about him, if not pressuring him to tell Iris what was really going on. How else could he explain that he managed to get to crime scenes before anyone else or just be 'in the right place at the right time' over and over again? No, it was better that they get to S.T.A.R. Labs. If Cadence was able to exhibit the same kinds of powers that Barry did…then she was a metahuman and there had to be something they could discover from research on her.

It didn't appear that she wanted to hurt him…it was nice to know he didn't have to worry about being stabbed in the back. Not that he could perceive anyway, judging by her stance and shoot the breeze attitude he could tell that she really did just want to meet him. Though the specific reason why was up to consideration.

He had to make a decision now.

Barry grabbed her wrist.

In a flash Barry brought them back to S.T.A.R Labs, in a mixture of lightning and smoke and flames. He raced her down into a cell in the Pipeline, where she looked around in shock and surprise. Caitlin and Cisco were already waiting in the open cell.

Barry then used his enhanced speed to run to his locker and change into his street clothes and then zoomed back. All in the span of the few seconds that it took Cadence to recover from her trip. Cadence's knees knocked and she buckled to the floor. "Whoa." Shaking hands covered her mouth as she closed her eyes. "I should've told you that I get motion sickness pretty easily," she moaned.

"Sorry," Barry apologized. "I should've warned you about that."

Cadence waved a hand. She stayed on her knees for a long moment, forehead pressed to the glass of her cell. Then she seemed to notice it was there. She slowly stood up and looked around. Reaching out, she pressed her fingertips against it before clenching her hands, as if to start a fire. Her eyes widened when nothing happened.

She tried again.

Same thing.

"Where am I?" She demanded. She lifted back her fist and started to punch at the glass. "What is this?"

"You're in the Pipeline," Cisco explained to her. "And that little cell you've got going on there keeps your powers from working." He sniffed. "Now that we have _that_ cleared up..." he turned to Barry, lowering his voice a little. "Last we heard there was a raging inferno and all of a sudden you come careening in here like you've got your pants set on fire."

"You should've seen the kind of power she was able to put into the flames," Barry agreed. Crossing his arms he and Cisco shared an amused glance, which immediately subsided when Caitlin turned a harsh glare their way. "Which is totally beside the point," he said quickly to which Cisco nodded.

Turning at the sound of wheels coming their way, the three watched as Dr. Wells rolled down a ramp and over to the four young adults. "Well, well, look what we have here," he remarked. He continued over to the four and smiled when he spotted Cadence continuing to pound her fists against the glass with increasing frustration. "I see you've got the brunt end of Barry's speed."

"Dr. Wells, do you know her?" Caitlin asked. She then stood up straight, casting a critical glance towards Barry. "Who is she?"

"I know her," Dr. Wells agreed. "It has been my intention to know how sudden fires have been breaking out, steadily moving closer to Central City." He leaned towards Cadence. Her frantic motions subsided the moment her eyes locked on his. Her hands slowly draped to her sides, a pleasantness coming over her. "Cadence Nash, I was wondering when you appear."

She smiled a little. "It's good to see you, Dr. Wells."

"So Dr. Wells has a life outside of S.T.A.R. Labs huh?" Cisco said with a laugh which was once again broken off when Caitlin gave him another icy stare, attributing to her name well. "I mean, I'm sure you did, but…yeah…I'll just be over here…"

Barry chuckled.

"Let me welcome you to S.T.A.R. Labs," Dr. Wells continued. "Though I never intended you to see it so soon." He turned to Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco. "Cadence Nash is someone I've been following for a while. She's just as…remarkable as Barry here is."

Whirling around, Caitlin picked up a clipboard and stated to frantically scribble on the sheet of paper. "She was struck by the particle accelerator?"

"Quite the contrary, actually," Dr. Wells said. He nodded over towards Cadence, who started to regain the color in her face. She didn't look quite so green anymore, the nausea and anger fading away. "Her story is much more interesting.

Cadence took a step back, smoothing her hair out of her face, revealing a scar on her left cheek. It extended from her jaw bone to the apple of her cheek. And yet, despite the scar there was nothing but a friendly look in her eyes. No overwhelming feeling of tension in the slightest since Harrison's appearance.

"I've had these abilities for a long time," she explained. "Since I was a kid, actually."

"Abilities?" Barry repeated. "As in, more than one?"

"Not only is she able to conjure and manipulate fire, but she also has a power to heal others," Dr. Wells explained.

"Works well considering I'm in residency," Cadence added with a fleeting smile. "Though I have to admit that it is difficult to make sure that it isn't caught by those around me. However, working in pediatrics does have its perks in that aspect as kids can bounce back from anything." Her cheek twitched for a second and she lowered her head, letting out a long sigh. "Dr. Wells is an old family friend. He knows about my abilities and we've been in contact ever since."

"Where are you from?" Caitlin asked. She was still jotting down notes as the conversation moved around them.

"Metropolis," Cadence said. She shrugged. "It's a pretty cool city. A lot to do if you're bored." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Though it's not as exciting as that rural town a few counties over. Let me just say, weird things happen there."

"Really?" Barry hid a smile. "That's interesting."

"What brings you here to Central City?" Caitlin continued.

"I live here."

"How'd you know I was The Flash?" Barry asked.

Cadence blinked for a minute before smiling. "I didn't know for sure until I met you earlier today. But I had a hunch through the newspaper articles about the man who survived being struck by lightning and the Streak suddenly showing up. I wanted to see if my theory was correct…that he was the guy everyone is talking about. I didn't know any other way to get your attention."

"At what age did you develop your abilities? Do you remember what it is that happened around you? A flash of light? Some sort of accident?" Caitlin continued to spew out the questions one right after another.

"Give her a chance to breathe, Caitlin," Cisco reprimanded his friend.

"I'm just trying to get as much information as I can before she spontaneously combusts. You never know what metahumans are capable of."

"Not blowing myself up, I can tell you that," Cadence said. She smiled a little. "I've tried. Doesn't work. I can control fire and manipulate it. I can't cause myself to burst into flames. Though that would be pretty interesting." She cleared her throat. "No, I don't remember anything about there being a specific event that would've given me my powers. All I know is that they suddenly appeared and I had to work hard to keep it a secret, though there are still times where things have gone 'unexplained'." She used air quotes around the words.

"So no one else knows you're a metahuman?" Barry asked. He had been otherwise silent, allowing Cisco, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells to do their jobs. They were better equipped to handle this sort of situation than he was. "Not even your friends or family?"

"It's hard to have friends when there's something that you're constantly hiding from them. As for my parents, I haven't seen them since I moved out." She frowned. "I didn't want to put them through my problems anymore…it was hard for them to know I wasn't normal. They were doing their best."

"And you came all the way to Central City to find Barry?" Caitlin had finally put down the clipboard that was filled with her findings.

Barry felt a quick flash of irritation that had moved away just as quickly as he could run. He had the same sense of admiration for Oliver Queen or as others knew him 'the Arrow'. He was a big fan of what the man did and having been able to meet him, become friends with him…it was good to have someone who understood what he was going through. It made it that much easier to live a life that wasn't normal among those that thought that having brightly colored dyed hair and tattoos were strange. Let alone being able to eat pounds of food and not gain any weight.

"Is that so weird?" He asked. "Looking for people that are the same as you…to see if things that could be explained…"

"Not including the fact that you can't stay in Metropolis anymore, right?" Dr. Wells asked Cadence quietly. She gazed back at him, silent. "Something must've happened for you to come and try to find him now…months after he had woken up again." He leaned his top half forward, resting his hands in his lip, dark eyes staring hard at the girl behind his frames. "Something that drove you out of your home city. Have there been cases of other metahumans in your city, Cadence?"

Cadence's cheek twitched once more before she stood up. "Not that more so than I got cold feet and felt I needed to leave. That was a long time ago, I've lived in Central City for years. But when I found there was someone like me…" She trailed off, looking around S.T.A.R. Labs. "Looks like you're trying to start an army around here, Dr. Wells."

"No, not an army." Dr. Wells laughed, slowly wheeling up behind her. "We're just trying to figure out what makes you tick." He tilted his head over towards Caitlin. "Do you mind if she gets a DNA sample to test?"

"Not at all," Cadence replied.

Harrison reached over to the project plate at his side and opened Cadence's cell.

Back in the Cortex, Caitlin went over to a table that was tucked in the corner of the room. It was bare of any items other than a box that held latex gloves. "And, hey, if you want to take my blood, I'm used to that too." She chuckled at her own joke before opening her mouth as wide as it could go. Caitlin walked back over and took a swab of her mouth before taking a sample of her blood as well. "I've been told I have some pretty interesting blood."

"How do you get around your samples being taken by doctors at your work?" Cisco asked. "Since…you've said that you've had your blood taken before." A smile graced his features. "Now, I don't think they'd have the same sort of strength in their instruments as my Cisco'd instruments."

Cadence's eyebrows rose. "Cisco'd?"

"It's what he calls it when he modifies something so that's far more advanced," Barry explained. "Like that treadmill over there." He pointed to the object in the far corner of the room.

"Mhm! I Cisco'd it so that it could handle the increase in speeds that Barry here can exude."

An amused smile slid onto Cadence's face as Dr. Wells and Barry smiled.

"Amazing," Caitlin breathed, grabbing the others' attention. Her eyes were pressed into the optics of a microscope. "Her blood is moving quickly, not like Barry's movements because of his speed. But moving fast because of the heat. It's like her blood is actually on fire. But then that opens up a lot of other questions," Caitlin said. She stood up straight, pressing the palms of her hands against the edge of the table. Fingernails clacked against the metal as she drummed her fingers. "Metabolic rate, reaction with intense heat, anything else that it can do to the body at the molecular level. This would mean increasing tests on just about…everything."

"Great." Dr. Wells turned around and started to wheel away. "We can get started tomorrow morning. It was very pleasing to see you again, Cadence. I hope you find our work with STAR Labs enlightening." He disappeared through a door that was hidden in the shadows.

With that, the group disbanded. Caitlin immediately became busy with the microscope, Cisco ran off to get started on collecting the materials that he hoped would be able to withstand the fire Cadence could create and that left Barry and Cadence.

The two glanced at each other before Cadence glanced at her watch and started to leave the lab. "Looks like you've got a lot of friends here." Barry followed after her. There were still come questions he had; mostly with how she had her powers for so long and how she dealt with them.

Barry thought about Caitlin and her normally frosty demeanor with everyone around her then shook his head, chuckling. "I guess you could say that," he said. "They have the same goals I do just…they can't do it. So they help me whenever there're people that need help."

Cadence said. "And to think I thought you were actually crazy. That would've been more fun."

Barry laughed.

The two left S.T.A.R. Labs and walked out onto the concrete sidewalk. Feeling the change in temperature, Cadence brought her jacket tighter around her, though didn't close it. Barry, on the other hand, shivered and made sure that all of the buttons on his coat were done up and the scarf around his neck was tight.

"So it looks like you're going to be here in Central City for a while, Cadence," Barry remarked. His breath fogged in front of his face, the autumn season had definitely arrived. "It's a really cool place. It's gotten pretty interesting in the last couple of months. Might not be like Metropolis but because you said you wanted to leave it might be the place for you."

"I'm starting to think that myself, actually."

A peal split through the air and Barry dug through his pocket to find his phone. He glanced at the screen for a moment and then closed his eyes. He was late, again. That was starting to become the new norm for him. No matter how fast he could move, he was always late for something. Thankfully, this time it was just that he was late for a meeting in Starling City.

Putting his phone away, Barry sighed before smiling. "Gotta run," he said seconds before disappearing from sight.

"Stay warm," Cadence called.

She turned on her heel and walked off in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Cisco," Dr. Wells said once the doors behind them closed. "Make her a suit."

Caitlin regarded her boss with surprise. "But...we don't even know if she's wants to join our team. Or...or if she's really who she says she is..." she trailed off at the low sound of Dr. Wells clearing his throat, knowing he meant business.

"Just...trust me," he said to her. He then turned back to Cisco. "She's going to need that suit."


	2. Suspicions

**.:2:.**

_Suspicions_

* * *

 

Barry sat on the couch, a bit restless. His fingers drummed against his thigh in a strange beat. Not rhythmic in any sense, but a constant twitching of his fingers, one he had the vague feeling he could help, but a bigger part of him wondering how fast he really could move.

Being tested by those at S.T.A.R. labs he could clock in at about three hundred miles per hour or so, but what was the extent of it? What would happen if he really didn't eat enough and he burned out his energy. He would die, he supposed, but he should've died after the bolt of lightning hit him.

 _And yet it gave me the ability to move faster than the eye can see,_ Barry scratched at his chest, the fabric of his t-shirt hiding the scar underneath. The scar resting where he was struck. It made a strange, spidering pattern on his skin. Enough so that if he lost his abilities, he would still have the constant reminder of what he had been able to do.

The particle accelerator had been what caused him to become The Flash, but what was it that had made Cadence get her abilities. If Dr. Wells had known of her existence for that many years before she had left Metropolis before going to Central City…there was probably something he knew more than the others. What was it that had needed it to be a secret?

"Not being able to test it," Barry mumbled, the realization dawning on him.

"Did you say something, Barry?"

Twisting his head to the side, Barry smiled at his best friend, Iris West. She was curled up in the armchair, dressed in one of his old t-shirts and snowman pajama pants, nursing a mug of tea. Hearing his statement, she had turned from the show they had been watching on TV—he hadn't been paying that close attention—to see what was wrong.

"No," he replied then gestured towards the set when he recognized Iris's suspicious glance. She was already really good at figuring out whenever he wasn't being truthful about something. She had to, really. As he had been her foster brother for years, since his mother's murder. "I was just saying that the…" he swallowed thickly, turning back to the TV. "Murder is going to be the mother, because she wants the step-daughter dead to get her late husband's fortune."

Iris sighed heavily and grabbed the TV remote. Jabbing her thumb into the power button she turned off the TV. "That's the last time I ask you to watch a movie with me, Barry Allen."

He laughed lightly. "It's a Lifetime movie, Iris. They're not hard to figure out."

"I know, but it's still fun to see if you're right or if it's going to be the daughter instead." Iris took a long sip of tea and smiled, closing her eyes. She sat still for a few moments before casting a strange glance towards him once more. "Some of us find it interesting anyway, since we have the time to watch."

Barry let out a sigh through his nose.

He knew where this was heading.

"Where were you today, Barry?" Leaning forward, the young African-American woman placed her mug on the coffee table in front of her. "We were supposed to meet at work today so you could help me look over and edit my article." Flipping her long hair over her shoulder, her eyebrows shot upwards. "I'm starting to get a lot of recognition for my articles about the new vigilante we have running through our streets." She smiled. "He or she is a real hero."

Barry couldn't help the proud smile that slid onto his face. He didn't do it for the recognition, just wanting to help out the best way he could, while also dealing with the criminal metahumans that seemed to pop out from the woodwork within minutes of each other. Still, it was nice to know that some people thought he was doing the right thing.

"Would you really say that?" Barry asked, hoping to do his best to keep his pride out of his voice. "I mean, he could be waiting for a time to strike the city." He suddenly frowned deeply, standing up so swiftly that Iris looked up at him, startled. His mind raced a mile a minute with many different scenarios filling his head. Maybe there was something to the notion of intuition, his gut was telling him something and it was as strong as knowing that his mother was, indeed, murdered. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just…I have something I need to take care of."

"What?" Iris leaned over the arm of the chair and watched as Barry headed towards his room. "I thought you got everything done at work today. I mean, Dad didn't have anything to complain about." She gestured to her father, Joe West, who sat in the back corner of the room in another arm chair, reading the newspaper. He raised his eyes over the top of the newspaper and locked eyes with Barry.

Barry swallowed thickly. Joe knew about his secret and did his best to help him out when the time came; he had to have known that he was around the fire that had happened earlier that afternoon. The one thing he wouldn't help Barry with was lying to his daughter, placing the utmost importance on honesty.

Yet, he wasn't sure _how_ she would react to his newfound powers. Not only that, he didn't want her to become a target. It had to mean something that his mother was targeted in her death ages ago. Someone wanted his father to become the star suspect for the case. He was sure of it. And while his father continued to serve out his sentence in jail, his mother's killer was roaming free, probably watching him every second of the day.

And as Barry was actively trying to find out who was the one that had killed his mother, it wasn't that far of a stretch to bring him into it as well. At least he'd be ready for it more than he was ready for any explanation to Iris. There was currently no reason for his mother to be murdered, nothing stolen from the house, other than his mother's life. The only other witness being in jail, Barry wouldn't put it past whoever had done it to come after him eventually.

Still it wasn't, currently, as important as figuring out where all of the new metahumans were coming from and what they wanted. Most importantly, why Cadence was _really_ in Central City.

"I got some extra…paperwork to do," Barry said. He shuddered at his own lie, knowing how lame it sounded. "The last case…with Stagg…there's a lot to look over." He hurried up the stairs before Iris could ask him anymore. But he didn't miss the disapproving glance that Joe sent his way. _Sorry Joe, now you have to answer some of her questions._ Barry went into his room and closed the door, making sure it was locked behind him, before dialing Cisco's number.

The phone started to ring and he glanced at the time on his alarm clock as he passed back and forth. It _was_ kind of late. Would they even still be at S.T.A.R. Labs? Maybe he should—

"What's going on, my speedy friend?" Cisco asked.

"I just had a thought," Barry said as he stopped pacing. "How do we know that Cadence isn't going to attack the city or something?"

"What?"

"Think about it Cisco, every metahuman that we've come across so far has been a criminal in some way. How do we know that Cadence isn't the same way? She showed up out of nowhere from Metropolis and says that she's had her powers since she was a kid. I mean, you have to admit that her reason for leaving Metropolis was kind of vague."

"But she doesn't look like the type of person that would be a criminal, dude," Cisco pointed out. Barry could hear a creaking sound and knew that he was sitting up straight in his seat. Despite not knowing him for long, Barry knew that Cisco was a very relaxed person, always trying to find the bright side of things and amusement in any situation. The only time he became serious was when he was sitting up straight, ready to go into action. "I mean, she was really friendly while she was here."

"Neither did Daton Bla—"Barry turned his gaze to the ceiling. "I mean, Multiplex. He was trying to help his wife, and then he got his work stolen. He was just trying to avenger her in some way."

"Yeah, by killing everyone that got in his way," Cisco reminded him. "I don't think Cadence wants to kill anyone." There was a scuttling sound and Caitlin suddenly came onto the phone.

"Barry, I've got some news for you," she said to him. "After testing Cadence's blood some more, my findings were accurate. It's like her blood really is on fire and judging by the activity, considering it always seems to regenerate its source, she really has had her abilities for a long time."

Barry reached up and scratched his forehead. So that part was at least true. Still, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that there was something big they were missing. "What about her being from Metropolis?"

"All of that checks out, too. However, I can't seem to get any information on her parents." Her voice then lowered. "Or how Dr. Wells knows her. I asked him about it, but he says it's information that he'll let us in on when the time is right."

Barry twisted his mouth to the side. Stuck at another brick wall. There had to be a way to get the information from him. Then again, there was a reason what they were currently doing at S.T.A.R. wasn't being released to the public either.

There was a sudden pause and when Caitlin came back on the line, he could hear a tiny bit of excitement in her otherwise cool tone. "How would you like to get some answers up close and personal?"

Before Barry could question what she meant, Cisco was back on the line. "There's a fire downtown at the MacMillan office building. A big one. Exactly like the one earlier today."

Turning to the window, Barry could make out the faint glow of downtown Central City. The bright, twinkling lights always shone against the dark sky, but this time around he could make out a faint orange glow along with it as well as a portion of the starry sky blacked out from the smoke that poured into the sky. He then heard the sound of sirens starting up and hurried footsteps from downstairs.

 _Joe must've gotten the call,_ he thought. _Looks like I'll beat him there._

"Looks like Spit Fire is getting started ahead of schedule," Cisco said.

Barry paused for a moment. "Spit Fire?" He repeated.

"I'm working on it."

Cisco hung up and Barry put his phone back in his pocket. All he had to do was creep out of his room, sneak out of the house, and run to the scene. It shouldn't take him too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story and the rest of The Flash and The Flame series can be found in full (the fourth story is a work in progress) on the Fanfiction.net profile, DarkElements10. Please keep in mind this story was originally posted on FFN in October 2014 and finished November 2015, so some things need to be changed/fixed as the story goes on. I hope you guys enjoy it.


	3. Hotheaded

**.:3:.**

* * *

 

Arriving at the burning building downtown, Barry stayed back in the shadows as there was a great crowd of people looking up on the scene. Swallowing hard, Barry looked around, trying to see if there was anyone that needed his help. It appeared that everyone was outside as firefighters were setting up, working to put out the fire.

But what caused it?

Spotting Joe's police cruise at the edge of the scene, Barry zipped back to the house he changed to his street clothes. Arriving back at the scene, his uniform in the satchel across his waist, he went over to Joe. He went over to the detective and nodded his arrival to him and his partner, Eddie Thawne.

"Any ideas as to what started it?" Barry asked. It wasn't an abnormal question, he would be going in later to help figure out if there was anything the initial investigation would've missed. But it served as a double purpose for he could figure out whether or not Cadence was involved.

Eddie shook his head as he glanced up at the building. The firefighters had started to use the hoses, spraying the building, but it didn't appear that the fire would be out anytime soon. "Not anything that's usual. The smoke alarms, reported by some that worked inside, were reported to have gone off as well as the sprinklers before the fire managed to engulf the building." He looked over his notepad. "Some say they weren't surprised about the smoke alarm as it seems to go off whenever someone doesn't clean out the toaster in the break room. However, there was another witness that stated that the fire couldn't have come from the break room."

Joe and Barry exchanged a look. Though there were reasonable explanations for everything, they still couldn't rule out that a metahuman was involved. "Really?" Joe asked. He cleared his throat, trying not to appear too interested. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, she insists that the fire came upon them too fast," Eddie said firmly. "One second the alarms went off, the next the whole building was in flames."

"Sounds like a flash fire," Barry remarked, through his eyes were narrowed. "It's where there is a sudden, intense fire. It's usually caused by the ignition of air and a dispersed flammable substance. Like…dust, or a combustible liquid like an aerosol can or hairspray. It has a high temperature, short duration, and rapidly moving flames."

Joe let out what sounded like a snort as the three turned to look up at the building. "Something tells me that this didn't come from blowing air freshener in the break room."

"That's what I was thinking," Barry agreed. He turned and looked around, finding a woman sitting in the back of an ambulance motioned to Eddie. "Was that the witness you were speaking to?"

Looking over, Eddie nodded his confirmation. "Yes, it is," he agreed. "Would you like for me to talk to her again, Detective?"

Joe thought for a long moment, looking at Barry out of the corner of his eye before turning back to his partner. "I think we should both go talk to her. Maybe there's something we missed." He placed hand on Barry's shoulder, eyes still on Eddie. "Let me talk to Barry for a moment and I'll meet you over there."

Eddie nodded and hurried over towards the witness.

The two waited until he was out of sight before Joe spoke.

"I know I'm new to this whole thing but I'm pretty sure that—"

"—a metahuman is involved?" Barry broke in. "Yeah, I have the same thought. So do Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells." He lowered his voice, stepping closer to Joe. "This afternoon we met a girl named Cadence. She's a metahuman like me,"—Joe's eyebrows rose in surprise—"the thing is, though, that she's had her powers since she was a kid. When I met her earlier, it was—"

"—at that fire on the outskirts of the city? By the forest?"

"Yes. It was like this. I think she may be behind it." Barry shook his head as he looked up at the burning building. The firefighters had the raging inferno under control by that point and the smoldering pieces were slowly going out, brown smoke filling the sky. The crowd started to disperse as well, though there were others that dutifully took pictures and recorded the action. "But…she doesn't come across as evil or as a criminal so I'm a bit skeptical."

"Being doubtful just means that there's something else to investigate just so you know for sure," Joe pointed out. He tightened his grip on Barry's shoulder, gently shaking him. "Be careful while you're out there, Barry. If she can make a fire like this that quickly, who knows what else she can do."

Barry nodded and looked around, making sure the coast was clear, before zipping away, pulling on Flash uniform as he went.

"Did you find anything?" Caitlin demanded as soon as Barry pulled the hood back on. "We've been calling you since you got there. What happened?"

"Did you figure out what was the cause of the power?" Dr. Wells came onto the line. "Was it from a metahuman?"

"Unless there's a fire that can take down a nine story building in a matter of minutes, I'd say it was a metahuman," Barry agreed. "It has to be Cadence too, the fire was so big and it moved quickly, like a flash fire."

"Flash Fire!" Cisco cried. "That's it! That's what we'll call her!"

"Wait a minute." Barry slowed to a walk on an empty road, frowning. "I'm already The Flash, wouldn't people just get that mixed up?"

"No. One is speed one is fire, unless you somehow manage to take on fire powers as well, I don't think it'll be a problem."

"But—"

"—If you children are done," Caitlin interrupted.

Barry winced, hearing the anxiety in her voice. She was always so good at keeping any sort of expression or emotion off of her face whenever he was concerned. He had only seen her break down once, when she was talking about her fiancé to him and he was surprised—pleasantly surprised—that she had done so. He thought the two of them were the least likely people to have anything in common, but her late fiancé and his mother…at least he could tell she wasn't just worried about the state of Central City with a fire metahuman on the loose.

"We have more pressing matters. Cadence is moving quickly on a nearby road, it seems like she's chasing something. I don't know what, but there's something or someone she's after and it may have lead her to the office building."

"I'm on it." Barry lowered his hand from the sensor over his ear and moved to start running then stopped, bringing his hand back up. "Wait a minute, how do you know where she is?"

"We have her blood, remember?" Cisco spoke up. "Not only are we now able to see how she works up her fire powers, but we can track her just like we do for you." He paused and Barry could hear him take in an excited breath. "She's coming your way. If she tries any of your fire mojo on you, try throwing some dust or dirt at her, to smother the flames."

"Got it."

Lowering his hand from his ear once more, Barry's eyes shifted back and forth as he tried to figure out which direction Cadence would be coming from. It didn't take long for him to hear footsteps heading his way along with the sound of heaving breathing. Over the horizon, Barry watched as a lone figure came tearing up the road, moving as fast as he could. Seconds later he spotted Cadence running at full tilt behind him. The two barely made it up the road before she threw a stream of fire at the man that moved so quickly Barry wasn't sure he'd get out of the way in time.

Using his enhanced speed, he raced across the road and grabbed onto the man, darting off to the side of the road and skidding to a stop. The man gasped loudly, looking up at Barry in wide-eyed amazement, seconds before Cadence arrived, pushing Barry back out of f the way.

Straddling the man, Cadence grabbed the front of his shirt. "Where is he?!" She shouted, holding onto the front of the man's shirt. The man, seeming to be ignoring Barry now, merely smirked up at her as she started to shake him. "Talk, dammit! I know you know where Brady is!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man replied.

Growling, Cadence pulled her arm back, her hand started to glow a bright red before Barry could see the beginning of a flame started to form around her fist. He saw it in slow motion, as it were, as he moved over to Cadence and grabbed onto her before she could vaporize the guy. His forward momentum caused him to go slamming into Cadence's stomach, keeping her arm straight behind him. Though he had moved quick enough to try and get out of the way, she still had good aim and managed to strike the man on the right arm with her stream of power.

The man screamed in agony, doing his best to pat the flames off of his arm. Opening her hand, the fire disappeared from Cadence's fist just as it disappeared from the man's shoulder. But it had done enough, giving him third degree burns that caused pain to shoot through his senses badly enough that he went into shock, blacking out.

"Cadence, what are you doing?" Barry demanded once he stopped again.

Backing away from The Flash, Cadence growled at him, her hands clenched into fists, fingers twitching every now and then. "Back off! This doesn't concern you!"

"It does when you're hurting someone."

"You don't know what's he's done. You can't stay that this guy is innocent!" Cadence's dark eyes moved over towards the man and narrowed into dangerous slits. "He deserves what he's about to get." She took a few quick strides towards him and Barry blocked her path once more, holding up his hands.

"You already did enough damage to him," he said to her. "Unless you want to potentially get thrown in jail for murder…" he trailed off, taking a step back as Cadence took another step forwards. "You don't want to do this, Cadence, listen to me." _You don't want to go where my Dad is._

He couldn't help but think about his father, all alone in jail, having been framed for a crime he didn't commit. How much longer would he last in there? How much longer would it take for him to go from being Henry Allen, loving father and husband, to a victim of the system who saw no point in living anymore, who would refuse to see his son anymore, who wouldn't see anything left in life?

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" She shot a steam of fire towards him, but he quickly zoomed out of the path of fire. Her eyes were alight with fury. Barry looked at them then did a double take, they were actually lighting up, the same as the glow around her fists.

 _It looks like she's summoning the fire from within her,_ he thought as he watched her. Bringing up a hand to his sensor, he relayed the information to Dr. Wells, Caitlin, and Cisco. "I think she's bringing the fire from within you."

"You're absolutely right, Barry," Dr. Wells agreed. "Our sensors here are indicating that she rises her body temperature while she uses her fire power. However, every metahuman has a weakness and like yours is hypoglycemia, it appears that the rising of her body temperature, after a while, will cause her to get a fever and react like any other person. It will be dangerous for her."

"So you're going to have to deal with Flash Fire pretty quickly," Cisco agreed. "Bringing back my suggestion of throwing dirt or dust at her to smother the flames. If not that, then try to wear her out so the fever overtakes her."

"But be aware that she may be able to work longer than you can before tiring out," Caitlin suggested. She sounded like she was thinking while she was talking, her voice a bit lighter and airy than normal. Which was a welcome change, Barry thought before turning his attention to her words. "She's had a lot more time to get used to her powers, so be on your guard."

"Got it."

Cadence let out a cry of fury and shot a stream of fire towards Barry. He darted out of the way and watched as she lowered her left hand, smirking as her right suddenly shifted to the sound. He could hear the rush of flames behind him and turned around, watching as they came towards him once more. He dove to the ground as it roared overhead and crashed to the ground. Letting out a hiss of pain, Barry grabbed onto his shoulder where he could feel his skin as the fabric on his suit had melted away.

If it was able to melt, despite Cisco's work on it, then the flames must've been really hot.

 _She really has had a lot of time to work on this, _Barry thought. "This isn't good." He rolled his shoulder, wincing. "I guess I'm going to have to tire you out."

"Funny." Cadence slowly started to walk towards him, picking up speed as she went until she was running towards him. "I was thinking the exact same thing."

She was suddenly upon him, throwing a solid punch towards his face. He ducked out of the way and deflected the blow before zipping behind her and striking her in the back with a kick. Cadence stumbled forward then quickly caught her foot, turning around and shooting a flash of flames in his face. Barry ducked back out of the way, feeling his eyebrows singe then punched towards her. Catching his first in her hand, Cadence twisted it and pushed hard, forcing his arm aside then brought up her foot and kicked him in the chest, knocking him back away from her.

This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

All of a sudden there was a blurred movement in front of him and he was suddenly struck in the stomach once more, flying back until he landed on his back on the ground. He let out a quiet groan, staring at the sky in a daze.

"What was that?" he breathed.

"It seems that her abilities of quick moving fire goes along with her speed as well. She's not _nearly_ as fast as you are, but she does have some sort of speed as well," Dr. Wells murmured.

"You better stay down or else you're going to go from being named 'The Flash' to 'Flash Fried'," Cadence said, walking towards him. She was breathing heavily, looking at Barry with a harsh glare as Barry pulled himself up into a sitting position. "If you want to keep getting in my way, I have no choice but to stop you."

Barry flipped to his feet and fell into a fighting stance, staring defiantly back at her. "I'm not going to allow you to hurt other people."

Gesturing vaguely towards the man that continued to lie on the ground. "That is _not_ a man that is the bane of my existence!" She aimed a stream of fire towards Barry once more, this time narrowly avoiding him. Barry hardly had to move for him to get out of the way. His eyebrows twitched as he watched her. He didn't understand why she didn't direct the fire back towards him once more.

Then he understood. Not only was she able to bring up her body temperature to make it so that she was able to create the fire, but she was an actual hot head. No wonder it was such a great change from when they had met before. She had no one she was angry at and was really friendly, now that she had someone to deal with, her anger made it so that she wasn't thinking clearly the longer it went on. He had to finish this fight quickly and get her back to S.T.A.R. Labs before she hurt someone badly or her body temperature and fever got too high.

"I understand," Barry said to her, holding up his hands. "He did something to you." What was the name that she had said? "Brady? Is he your brother?" Cadence didn't respond. "He did something to your brother? Kidnap him? We'll get him back, don't worry."

Cadence's upper lip curled and she shot forward and struck Barry in the face with a hard punch. Despite the fact he had seen it coming, he was stunned at how hard of a punch she managed to land on him. But he was glad she had gotten so close, as it put him directly in his trap. Using his enhanced speed at full tilt he punched her in the stomach, his momentum and speed of the attack immediately knocking the wind out of her. He watched as her eyes went wide seconds before they closed and she slumped over onto him, knocking out.

Hoisting her over his shoulder, Barry glanced over at the man that continued to lie on the ground. He shot over to him and picked him up before racing to the hospital, depositing him across the secretary's front desk, and hurried back to S.T.A.R. Labs.

* * *

 

_"Hey, Dr. Wells, she's waking up."_

_"Don't you think we should be…I don't know, a few feet back, just in case she wants to use her mojo or something?"_

_"No, she's alright now."_

Cadence's eyes twitched before they slowly blinked open. The first thing she noticed was that she was lying on a metal table, the cold against her body seeping into her skin and bones. The second thing she noticed was the bright lights in her face that were dimmed by the five faces hovering over her. She sat up, allowing Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, Joe, and Dr. Wells to back out of her way.

"Where am I?" She demanded. "What happened." Her eyes continued to dark around, her skin itching for her to get out of there. Everything came rushing back to her, how she had been lured to the office building, found the man that had been taunting her for so long, then chased him down before facing off with Barry.

She suddenly felt angry all over again, hands tightening into fists.

"You're back in S.T.A.R. Labs," Dr. Wells said to her. The calm tone to his words caused her to look over at him. He looked back at her with a slight smile, pink lips pressed together, light blue eyes boring into hers. He reached out to grab her wrist then hesitated, bringing it back down to his lap. "Barry brought you here after you fought with each other. It's a good thing he did, too."

"Your body temperature was starting to get dangerously high," Caitlin said, grabbing Cadence's attention. The metahuman's eyelids lowered in confusion as she regarded the young woman speaking to her. "Even for that of your powers. If you had it go any higher, then you would've suffered from brain damage if not your entire body shutting down."

Cadence let out a low laugh, lowering her gaze. "It's not a big deal," she murmured. "I heal quickly, doesn't take more than a nap to get back to normal."

"Still, we can't have that happen, not when anyone can find you." Caitlin reached out and unwrapped the blood pressure monitor that had been hooked to her arm. Cadence then looked down, noticing that she had an IV drip taped to her arm, the needle inside her skin. "Don't worry, I'm a physician. I made sure that your body wouldn't reject the nutrients I'm giving you. Though be glad that you don't have as many problems as Barry does." She nodded over to The Flash and Cadence looked over at him.

Seeing her glance, he took a step forward then nodded over at Joe. "This is Detective Joe West," he introduced him. "Detective West, Cadence Nash. Her brother Brady is missing, and from the way she was reacting to the man she was with—"

"—Michael Bloom," Cadence interrupted. "His name is Michael Bloom."

Joe nodded and wrote the name down on a notepad. "Did he kidnap your brother?"

Cadence sighed loudly, tilting her head back so she looked at the ceiling. Then her shoulders slumped as she lowered her chin. "It wasn't long before I came here. It's…the real reason I left Metropolis. I'm pretty sure this guy, if not someone he works with, took him and I've been looking for him since. It's been a couple of months. Every now and then he'll seek me out and say he has him, but each time I get there, Brady's nowhere to be found."

"Or maybe you get too angry too quickly before they can even say anything," Cisco suggested. When all eyes turned to him he shrugged. "It makes sense. I mean, she showed that she does get pretty hotheaded, such as when she was fighting with Barry over here." His eyes lit up. "Hothead! We can call you that."

Chuckling, Cadence lifted a hand. "Please don't," she said to him.

"Do you like Flash Fire? I came up with that one, too."

Cadence ignored his question, instead choosing to concur with his earlier statement. "He does have a point," she agreed. "I've always had a bad temper but when it comes to Brady…that conversation is off limits." _More than they think._

"Do you have a description of him I could use?" Joe pressed. "A recent picture? What he was last wearing?"

 _Like I could forget,_ Cadence thought. "He's about four feet. Same hair and eye color, has a mole above his upper lip. Last wearing a black sweatshirt and blue jeans. I remember because he refused to put on a jacket when I kept telling him too, but he was never that great at listening." She smirked. "Kind of like me. I went home and he was just gone."

Joe nodded, taking down the information. "Don't worry, we'll find him."

Cisco took a step towards Cadence. "Am I correct in assuming that the only reason you didn't call the police is because of them finding out about your abilities in some way?"

"I don't make a habit of hiding it when I'm home," Cadence agreed. "But my medical records…if they got a hold of that questions would be asked."

"I agree," Caitlin murmured. She was looking at a tablet that showed Cadence's vitals as she put in the information from the blood pressure test. "It must be difficult to try and hide your natural body temperature and the makeup of your blood when you have a physical conducted."

"You have no idea."

The corner of Caitlin's mouth lifted in a smile before she turned to Dr. Wells. "Her vitals are secure, back down to a normal level."

Dr. Wells nodded. "Thank you, Caitlin." He turned to Joe, raising an eyebrow. "You may want to get that Amber Alert out as soon as you can if you want to have a reasonable chance of finding him." Joe stared hard at him, the same way he had after having met him and the rest of what was left of the S.T.A.R. Labs personnel.

Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco exchanged glances, even they could hear the not so subtle hint to leave in Dr. Well's tone. Joe sucked in a short breath and turned to Barry. "I'll see you at home," he said and Barry nodded before leaving the lab.

With one last glance at Cadence, Dr. Wells turned and wheeled himself out of the lab in the opposite direction.

No one spoke until they both were out of the room. "Something tells me they're not exactly best friends," Cadence remarked.

"Not really," Barry agreed. He scratched the back of his neck. "Joe wasn't very…happy with me when I first started doing this. Our relationship…" he cleared his throat, eyes moving over to Caitlin, who glanced at him for a moment before looking back at the tablet she held in her hands. "It's kind of complicated."

Nodding, Cadence jumped down from the examining table, stretching her arms. She looked over at Barry once more and frowned in concern when she spotted the bruise on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to do that…I mean, I make such a big deal about wanting to meet you, then I go and punch you in the face."

Barry smiled, lifting a hand up to touch the bruise, gently wincing.

"It's not the worst that's happened to him," Cisco pointed out. "All of the other metahumans he's come across have tried to kill him so far." He snapped his fingers, walking over to a desk in the corner of the room. "I bet you're hungry after having used up so much of that power."

"He Cisco'd and energy bar for Barry, to keep up with his constant burning of food. I'd be careful if I were you," Caitlin warned her. "It might not taste very good, but it should do well for your recovery." She put the tablet down and turned to Cadence, holding out her hand. "I don't' think I've formally introduced myself, I'm Caitlin Snow. Physician." She pointed over to Cisco. "And that's Cisco Ramon."

"A technician?" Cadence guessed.

"A scientist, but close enough." Cisco didn't appear to be offended as he handed over her power bar. "So you can raise your body temperature huh? Have you ever used it for anything other than your powers?"

Cadence nodded as she took a bite of the power bar, chewing it hungrily. "Oh yeah, it's the best excuse to get out of work. And if they question it, I just go in and have them place a hand on my forehead." She shrugged. "They stopped questioning it after a while."

"Sweet!"

The fire metahuman laughed at his enthusiasm before smiling warmly. There was something about this group of people she couldn't help but feel at ease with. Knowing she wasn't the only metahuman around, and he, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells were doing so much to help Barry made her feel good. Made her feel safe.

Cisco held up his hands, squinting an eye as he looked Cadence up and down. "And don't worry, I'll have your suit done soon."

"My suit?" she repeated. Cadence blinked twice in confusion before looking over at Barry who smiled.

"It's going to be awesome! I promise. I just need to get some more ideas of how your powers work and I can get started on it. We have to protect your identity somehow, right?"

"Be that as it may, there's nothing else that we can do about it tonight," Caitlin said. She shut off the tablet and yawned lightly, rolling her neck. "It's late and we all need to get some sleep to see if we can figure out what's going on. Staying in shape so that we'll be ready for the next metahuman that comes around."

"That'll give me the rest of the night to catch up on what I've been missing in _The Walking Dead_ ," Cisco said, rubbing his hands together. The group left S.T.A.R. Labs, heading their separate ways, Caitlin and Cisco going one way and Barry going another.

"I'll see you guys later," Barry called to them, waving.

Cadence waved as well, giving them a smile. "Thanks for the help," she called.

Caitlin nodded and Cisco gave a short wave before they continued on.

The two walked along in silence for a few minutes before Barry spoke up. "You just got to Central City…do you have a place to stay?"

Cadence shrugged. "I don't plan on staying here long, just until I find Brady. Then I'll be back to Metropolis." She blew her hair out of her face. "For now I'm staying in the hotel near here." Her lips twitched. "Ironic, huh?"

Barry smiled "I'd say more like divine coincidence," he said. "Coincidence means to occupy the same place at the same period of time. To correspond exactly in nature, chemistry…things happening at the same time in exact agreement. So basically it means it was destined to happen, though there would be room for it to be considered a coincidence."

"I'll take your word for it," Cadence said, giving him a funny look.

Barry winced. "That would be, what my best friend Iris would call, me going into my 'nerd mode'," he apologized.

"It's better than knocking the wind out of me again." There was a friendly lift to her tone. She wasn't upset about it, he had been trying to help her before she made a big mistake. She could see that now. Though she was sort of bitter by how hard he had managed to hit her. She thought herself to be pretty strong and that was a slap in the face; a warning not to underestimate anyone.

"If you say so. I'm sorry for that, by the way."

Shaking her head, Cadence brushed her dark hair from her face. "Don't be," she said. "I wouldn't have stopped any way. Like I said, if it has to do with Brady, it's my berserk button. It takes a lot for me to calm down. You did what you had to do, I should've listened to your warnings." Her eyebrows twitched. "Cisco said you've faced other metahumans?"

"Yeah, they were all affected by the particle accelerator explosion in some way," Barry said. "It's what put Dr. Wells into the wheelchair and…it killed Caitlin's fiancé." Cadence made a humming sound, glancing over at Barry. She could see something flash through his face, something that was quickly in his eyes then went away, replaced by his easygoing nature. "The metahumans that came from it, that I've come across, in some way are criminals. I've been trying to stop them before they hurt someone. We've started a sort of metahuman jail from what was left of the particle accelerator."

"They've _all_ been evil?"

Barry smiled over at her. "Not all of them," he admitted. "I don't think you're evil. You just want to get you brother back."

"Yeah…" Cadence chewed her lower lip as an image of Brady appeared in her head. The anger that swirled through her made her bite down harder than she intended. She licked away the blood, bringing her fingertips up to her mouth, lightly pressing the wound.

"We're _going_ to get him back, Cadence" Barry said firmly. "We're going to find who took him and why and we'll bring him back."

Cadence nodded once more. "Thank you, Barry."

She believed what he had to say. Not because he sounded so sincere in what he was saying to her. Not because he had done his best to stop her from hurting someone as badly as she had wanted to, but because he was a metahuman too and he made her feel less alone. Everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs did and if Dr. Wells trusted him, Caitlin, and Cisco, then she could trust them too.

She was going to get Brady back no matter what it took.

"You're welcome, Cadence."


	4. Secrets

**.:4:.**

* * *

 

Cadence growled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Standing on the rooftop, she glared at the hooded figure that stood across from her. The red cloak that surrounded the figure billowed in the wind that blew around the two of them.

Taking a step forward, the fire metahuman clenched her hands into fists. "I've done what I've been told. I got here to Central City, I'm doing my fucking work. Now let Brady go."

A hollow, dry laugh escaped from underneath the hood as the two glowing spots where eyes should've been, pointed directly at her. The figure mimicked her stance, crossing its arms as well. "My dear Cadence, I don't know where to begin with this whole matter. It seems to me that you've only just started what has been assigned of you."

"I can finish the job tomorrow, it didn't take me long to find her." Cadence raked a hand through her hair. "But my bigger job, I'm doing that right now. You know that I do everything I've been told to do. I'm one of your best people that work for you. I've never fucking complained. But the _minute_ that you took Brady from me, just for incentive that I'd do this job, that's where you crossed the line."

"It's merely insurance that things go well," The figure replied. "And it's already starting to work out. Patience, my dear. Patience." He reached out, a hand sliding out from underneath the maroon colored cloak. He reached out and placed his hand on Cadence's shoulder. "Things will work out soon."

* * *

 

Barry stretched out his legs underneath the table and crossed his legs at the ankle. Reaching out his right hand he took a quick sip of the hot chocolate he had been nursing for the past hour. In his other hand he held the front page of the _Central City Citizen_ reading about the Red Streak and how he or she had brought a wanted criminal to the hospital with mysterious burn marks.

He couldn't help but smile to himself. As important as what he was doing was to the safety of Central City, there was a large amount of pride that he couldn't help but feel. For once his constant running was doing something that he didn't think it would. When he was a kid he was always trying to do the right thing and immediately ran to help someone that was being bullied. Of course it was usually only moments before having to run home to keep from being beaten himself.

Besides, it was nice to know there were people out there that appreciated everything he did, especially when he had to be so quiet about it for the most part. Sighing, he placed his hot chocolate on the table and turned towards the counter, where Iris was carefully taking a few muffins out of the display case to walk over to the table in the back corner.

He hated having to keep secrets from her, his best friend. Especially when she deserved to know. They knew everything about each other. He knew how she loved to eat brownies, how she claimed that she hated Rum Raising Ice cream but would shovel it in when she was depressed, how she was self conscious about her hair due to an unfortunate gum accident—which he could admit was his fault, how she scratched the area just below her right ear when she was nervous.

Everything.

Just as she knew everything about him, other than the most important thing he could ever tell her. Because if he told her how he was The Flash, then that meant he would have to tell her how he felt about her…when it was clear she was head over heels for Eddie Thawne.

He liked being able to see her smile, to see her so happy, he just wished she was the one that could do it for her.

"Please don't tell me there's something on my outfit." Iris's voice startled Barry. He hadn't realized she was that close to him until she had spoken. "I spent way too much time this morning picking it out so that I could go straight from here to lunch with Eddie."

Barry regained his exposure and smiled at her, lifting his hot chocolate in greeting. "I think you look amazing, Iris," he said honestly, taking in her flower sundress and heels. It hurt his head to say so, knowing she only heard it coming from her best friend. "So…where's Eddie taking you?" He turned his attention back to the newspaper, anything to keep her from seeing the grimace on his face.

"The Hilton Gardens," Iris replied, unable to stop the mile wide smile that stretched across her face, lips parting to show off her pearly whites. "It's supposed to be one of the most romantic restaurants in the city."

Barry tried to hide his laughter. "Where they play polka music every hour on the hour?"

Iris's smile dropped for a second as she rolled her eyes. "Yes, the idea of big guys in leather short shorts makes me want to hurl, but it's the thought that counts, Barry Allen." She swung the stack of menus she was holding onto against his arm, causing him to continue laughing. "You wouldn't know romance if it bit you in the leg, but you would if you finally went out on a date." Placing her hands on the table she leaned in towards her best friend. "C'mon, let me set you up with someone. I know plenty of girls that would want to go out with you."

"Nerdy, bumbling, forensic scientist, me?" Barry asked with a sarcastic edge to his tone.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Iris gently shook him. "No. Sweet, amazing, wonderful you. Someone who deserves to be happy."

Barry's smile widened though his heart hurt. _You have to get over this Barry. She doesn't feel the same way,_ he told himself. It was what he had told himself a lot over the years as Iris continued to go out with boyfriend after boyfriend, even if they weren't serious. He even tried to rationally tell himself why he shouldn't have feelings for her; she only saw him as a brother, as a best friend, and he was probably only friends with her because she was the only girl that paid him any real attention.

And yet he still couldn't let go of the tiny shred of hope. Just like he couldn't let go of the hope that he would get his father out of jail and figure out who his mother's murderer was. Giving up was not something he ever did and he wasn't going to do it anytime soon.

"I am happy, Iris, but thanks for that," Barry said.

Iris rolled her eyes before shifting her focus to the newspaper Barry was reading. Raising an eyebrow, she reached out and grabbed the newspaper from his hand, shaking it in front of him. "And you make fun of me for wanting to learn more about the Red Streak and yet, here you are reading about him."

"He or _She_ ," Barry insisted. "And I wasn't even looking at the article, I was looking checking the weather. You know, I was thinking of going running today." Twisting his body to face her, he smiled a little. "And I think you need to do something other than obsess with the Red Streak."

" _He_ , has been helping everyone for a long time now," Iris said. She looked at the very blurry picture that resided on the front page. "I just want to know who he is, what he's doing, why he's doing it."

"That's like asking why a firefighter runs into burning buildings," Barry pointed out. "It's his job."

"Exactly!" Iris agreed. "If it's his job then why now? Why not before?"

Barry laughed, impressed with the way Iris wouldn't allow him to put down what she believed in, and waved behind him as the bell over the front door rang, signaling a new patron to Jitters. "You have a customer, quit bothering me."

"Please, I make your day," Iris said. She flashed Barry another smile and walked away from the table to greet the new customers to the coffee shop. He watched her leave then his eyes shifted towards Caitlin and Cisco had just come through the doors and were heading his way.

Cisco was, anyway. He was practically dragging Caitlin behind him and through the café. The bioengineering expert was practically digging her heels into the floor, practically stumbling as Cisco continued to bring her forward. The young man stopped to talk to Iris for a second, who directed them over towards Barry before leading them over.

Barry's eyes widened in shock and whipped back around, trying to appear as calm as anyone could if their secret was about to be exposed to some of the closest people in their lives. He composed himself as Iris walked over, holding out an arm and two menus, Cisco and Caitlin sliding into the seats across from him.

"Here are your menus," Iris said to the two. "And I'll be back in a few minutes for your drink order." She leaned forward. "Though I suggest that you don't go for the cappuccino, our steamed-milk machine isn't working and our whipped cream is kinda old." She grimaced a little.

"That makes it sound so delicious, Ris," Barry said to her.

She gave him the stink eye, forming her fingers into the shape of a 'V' and mimed poking herself in the eyes with it before pointing at Barry. She then left the table, leaving a giggling Cisco and an amused Caitlin behind. Barry turned towards them, pressing his fingertips into his temples.

"I think I'm starting to understand how frustrated Dr. Snow gets sometimes," He said to Cisco and Caitlin.

"Good to know that my worries are starting to be realized," Caitlin said. She reached out and shoved Cisco on the shoulder. "I told you that coming here wasn't a good idea. But no, you just had to have your hot chocolate."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Barry lowered his voice. "Shouldn't you be in S.T.A.R. Labs working on the next industrialized mouse trap or something?"

Cisco laughed. "No, but that's totally something I should've thought about," he said. "I mean, most people do their experiments on rats, right? Don't be surprised if you see giant, mutant rats running around Central City soon."

Caitlin rolled her eyes.

Barry chuckled. Then he turned a serious eye to his friends. "You should've told me you were coming," he said. "Now I have to figure out how to keep Iris from…" he trailed off, moving his hand up to cover his mouth.

Giving him a sympathetic glance, Caitlin clasped her hands together, resting them not he table. "Look, we understand how hard it is to keep this secret from your girlfriend, but it's the best thing to do right now," She said. "What do you think will happen if she can't keep the secret? More and more people are going to find out what we're doing and it's not going to help us or Dr. Wells in the long run. I mean, Detective West knowing is alright, his job description makes it so that he can keep a lot of potentially dangerous things confidential, but this." She shook her head. "Sorry, but we can't risk it."

Barry listened patiently to what Caitlin had to say, that small smile gracing his lips. The one that he usually had that matched his sunny disposition. Now he tended to smile a bit more when she was around because he found it funny how…strong and serious she was about everything at S.T.A.R. Labs. Not funny in a humorous way, but in a way that he found to be admirable. Most girls Caitlin's age were wondering if they were going to get married, or what even they were going to, or what the next thing he was going to buy was.

(In his experience anyway, he knew not all women were that way).

However, he had never met someone so driven as Caitlin, someone who had continued to work with S.T.A.R. Labs and constantly satiated her curiosity of the world and scientific fields whenever something new arose.

As per usual, he had blinked out, in confused, when he heard the word 'girlfriend' in conjunction with Iris. Was he really that easy to read or was their chemistry together just that great.

"Oh, me and Iris…" Barry shook his head. "We're not dating, we're just friends."

Cisco nodded, giving him a serious look. "Friendzoned?"

"Friendzoned? Wha? No. It—it's not like that, we're _just_ friends."

An expression that Barry couldn't place slid across Caitlin's face. "Oh. I'm sorry I assumed then," she said. She looked over her shoulder towards the African-American girl as she headed back towards the table to take their order. "But one thing I learned since the particle accelerator…" she sighed heavily. "Life is short, you don't want to waste time."

"Considering how fast I move, I have nothing but time." Barry sat up straight moving his hot chocolate to his mouth as Iris came back to the table. He hoped she hadn't heard anything that he had said, but as she took Cisco's and Caitlin's orders—a hazelnut coffee with so much cream and sugar it would probably equal to the amount of lollipops and twizzlers he ate while in S.T.A.R. Labs, and an iced coffee—she didn't appear to notice.

"So," Iris started, jotting down the orders. "How do you know Barry? He's usually so busy I didn't think that he had time to meet anyone new."

"Well," Cisco started. He cleared his throat, thinking quickly. "We met at a comic book convention not too long ago."

"Oh." Iris eyed Caitlin, her eyebrows twitching. "All of you?"

Caitlin managed a smile. "Yeah, I love me some Catwoman." She leaned over towards Cisco. "Catwoman is a superhero right?" He nodded and she righted herself back in her seat.

"Well, I'm glad you made some new friends," Iris said to Barry with a tight-lipped smile. Her eyes were lit up as they usually were to match her bubbly personality but he could tell she was annoyed that he hadn't ever mentioned them. "I'll get you your coffee."

Cisco watched her leave. "And you're _not_ going out with her?"

"Down Cisco," Caitlin said to him.

Barry laughed once more. "So what are you guys really doing here? Did you want to take some sort of swab? Do some more mind games? Check my reflexes? 'Cause I'll have you know that my reflexes are just as quick. It's like I have spidey-sense or something."

"Wouldn't that be so cool?" Cisco agreed, eyes lighting up. "I mean, to be able to sense something before it even happens just because of a sixth sense kind of thing?"

"The mechanics behind that is amazing. It's supposed to denote psychic abilities such as telepathy, clairaudience, and clairvoyance, and their trans-temporal operation as precognition or retrocognition. There are even some tests that go along with it such as the ganzfeld experiment and the—"He suddenly broke off, watching the stunned expressions on Caitlin's and Cisco's faces. "And I'm going full nerd again Sorry."

"Don't apologize, Barry," Caitlin protested. "We're all scientists and find different things of interest. It's refreshing." She leaned back, crossing her legs at the knee. "We came here because…you know a lot about us and the things we do, but we don't really know about you. So Cisco suggested that we come to see what you do when you're not at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Well, you caught me on my day off," Barry said. He looked down as his cell phone stated to ring. Letting out a sigh he reached into his jean pockets and glanced at the caller ID. Seeing it was Joe he checked the time. It was still early so that meant he was still on shift, he was being called in.

He knew his day was going too well.

"Then again, I think I'm being called in." Barry jumped down from the seat. "It was nice to see you guys…outside the Lab. Too bad Dr. Wells couldn't join us, it'd be a real party." He paused, scratching the back of his neck. "Wait, that sounded really sarcastic. I meant that it'd be cool if we all hung out more, even though Wells is kind of old." Now he slapped his hand over his face. "Not that he's _really_ old but—"

"Barry!" Caitlin interrupted. "Just go!"

"Right. See ya." Barry hurried out of Jitters and swiped his thumb across the front of the phone. "Hey Joe."

"Yeah, Barry, I know that you have the day off, but something tells me that you need to come see this one," Detective West said. There was the sound of crunching and he spoke in a quieter voice. Judging by the voices in the background Barry could tell that he wasn't able to get away from the other officers around them. "There are some things that don't add up."

"I'm on it."

Barry looked around before zipping off to the scene of the crime. He arrived at the destination, a house in the suburbs of Central City, and brought his satchel to his side, hurrying inside. Detective West and a senior officer, one who was almost always on Barry's case, turned towards him as he walked up. Barry's eyes moved along the floor where sheets were covering bodies on the floor.

"Domestic violence," Detective West called over to Barry. "Judging by the bruises around her neck and how close the two have fallen together."

Eyes moving around the scene, Barry pulled gloves onto his hands and kneeled down by the first body. He pulled back the sheet and looked over the man that lay prone on the floor. Studying him for a long moment, he sat up and looked around the room. It had been trashed, as was to be expected with a scene of domestic violence; lamps were knocked over, books had fallen to the floor from the bookshelf, things were in disarray. Barry then went over to the woman that was under the other sheet, and studied the woman. The bruises around her neck were red and slightly puffy, bruising already starting to set in.

Barry started to stand up and a few things caught his attention. First was the picture that sat on the end table beside the woman. A photograph of the two adults and a small child in between then made his heart go falling to his feet.

They looked so happy.

Much like he, his father, and mother did when he was young. It made him angry. This kid hadn't only just lost his mother but lost his father as well. Where was he going to go? What was he going to do? What was going to happen to him? Did he have a best friend that he could move in with?

"The kid is at school," Joe said, coming up behind Barry. "Some police officers have notified his grandparents and they're on their way to get him."

"It's just not fair, Joe," Barry murmured. "This shouldn't have happened."

He stood up straight, ready to give his explanation of the crime scene then froze. Something cool had whipped across his face. Was there a draft? He walked over to the nearest window and pulled back the curtains. The window looked like it always did, but Barry moved his hand down and held it by the sill of the window, feeling a draft. Moving closer, he gently pressed the palm of his hand against the window and quickly caught it as it shifted out of place, nearly falling into the backyard.

"Just as I thought," Barry said. He carefully brought the window pane over and set it on the nearby couch. "This isn't a domestic violence call," he explained to Joe. "Not only is the bruising on her neck inconsistent to that of being strangled, it's sort of puffy, as if there was a lot of heat placed against her skin as well. And then there's the mess around the room. If she were running _away_ from her husband, than these books and lamps would have fallen in different places. But, it appears that they were being hurtled _toward_ the person from a far distance. Plus the crack in the lamp isn't consistent with someone falling into it, rather than it being used as a weapon. I surmise that the wife was attacked by someone and then the husband came running in to help her and was attacked as well. Especially as the bodies are so far from each other and it doesn't appear that there are any wounds on him rather than the straight blunt force trauma to the skull.

"And then there's the window sill. Whoever did this tried to conceal their tracks and punched out the pane to get into the house and considering it was the only place of entry it's the same way the person got back out. The fact that there is grass under the window as opposed to mud or a bush that would show if there had been someone there has made it so that any tracks will be harder to find."

All of a sudden, there was a loud gasping sound and Barry whirled around to find the woman had sat up and was gasping for air, frantically thrashing around as she tried to collect her bearings. The officers around them immediately sprang into action, looking her over and calling for an ambulance.

Joe turned to Eddie. "I want you to talk to the neighbors again," he directed. "Ask them if they saw any intruders or saw anything suspicious. I know many of them are at work, but there has to be someone around that would've seen anything suspicious."

"I'm on it," Eddie said with a nod. He hurried out the front door and went over to the surrounding houses.

Joe then turned back to Barry. "Do you think a metahuman has anything to do with this?" He asked.

"I'm not exactly sure," Barry replied. "There doesn't appear to be anything here that would show it to be a metahuman. But that woman…she needs to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. She…she can't leave her son behind." He swallowed painfully. "I don't want anyone to have to do go through the same thing I did."

"They won't have to," Joe reassured him. "Not when we figure out what really happened to her."

Barry nodded, trying not to let the emotions of it take him over. He wondered if there was ever going to be a time where he would be able to finally figure out what happened, to stop being so caught up with the nightmares that constantly plagued him, to have a time where everything around him didn't remind him of his mother and the dark past he was trying to get through. In a way it was good, the more the thought about it, the more he focused on it the better chances he had of figuring out what really happened that night.

Reaching out a hand, Joe placed it on Barry's shoulder, gently rubbing his neck with his thumb. He looked his surrogate son in the eyes and gently tilted his head back towards the street. "Go to the hospital, I'm sure you want to know how the woman is doing. It might give an explanation to what happened here as well."

Glancing up towards his surrogate-father, Barry nodded, swallowing thickly. He backed out of the house and zipped to the hospital. He knew it would take a while for the paramedics to get the woman there, and it would give him some time to wrap his head around some things. There was something about that house, something he was missing that would clue him in to what had really gone on to the family.

 _Why would they have been targeted?_ He asked, flopping down in a chair in the waiting room. _What made it so that family was the one had been attacked?_ He closed his eyes, tilting his head back. _What was it about Mom that had her be attacked? She didn't do anything to anyone, we kept to ourselves. Dad was a doctor, why would someone want to have him convicted for the crime?_

"Barry?" Opening his eyes, Barry turned to see Cadence walking his way, dressed in scrubs and a lab coat. A stethoscope hung around her neck and bounced against her chest as she walked over to him. "What are you doing here?" She sat down in a seat across from him, gazing at him in worry. "Did someone you know come in?"

Barry shook his head. "It's a…long story," he said. "It's my day off, I was just called to a crime scene that was strange, to say the least." He lowered his voice, leaning towards her. "There was a couple who had been murdered, or at least we thought she was. The woman just woke up, she's being sent here. But the crime scene was weird, it was arranged to look like domestic violence, but the clues show that it was a break in of some sort."

Cadence's eyebrows rose. "Do you think it was another metahuman?" She remembered how he had said, while promising that he would find Brady, that there were metahumans they were looking for, in case they were evil or criminals.

"I'm not sure," he said honestly. "Though that would make sense, depending on what the power is." He shook his head. "I really don't know." All of a sudden he looked stricken. "Am I keeping you from something? You must be hard at work right now. Well, maybe not right now since you're talking to me. Not that you don't work hard, but that—"

Cadence held up her hands. "Whoa, calm down, Barry. I just got off the clock, I was headed back to the hotel in a few minutes, actually." She dropped her hands back to her lap before giving him a funny look. "It's weird, though. One minute you can be a smooth talking gentleman then the next you have your foot in your mouth." She gave him a sly smile. "Or are you only like that around girls?"

Barry gave a fleeting smile in reply.

"What are you doing here, Barry?" She asked him, voice filled with concern. "Not many strangers come in to see how a patient is doing after they're whisked away."

Clasping his hands together, Barry took a deep breath. "I guess because I know how it feels," he said. Cadence tilted her head to the side, allowing her dark brown hair to fall out of her hazel eyes. Barry glanced at the scar that was on her cheek, running from the bottom of her jaw up towards her nose. "Back when I was little, when I was eleven or so, I saw my Mom get murdered," he explained. Cadence's eyes widened slightly. "My dad was implicated for the crime. I know it was some sort of metahuman or something that did it, there was a lightning tornado and I saw someone inside. It's how I got into criminology in college and started working for the CCPD. I want to figure out what really happened that night and how to get my Dad out of jail." He wrung his hands together. "When I saw that the woman was dead…I saw the family picture behind her. She has a son…I don't want to see him go through the same thing I did."

Cadence slowly nodded. "I can make sure my colleagues give him the best care she can get. And…I'm sorry about your mother."

"Thanks."

Running his hands over his face, Barry let out a quiet sigh. "I really want to help you find your brother, Cadence. All of us at S.T.A.R. Labs do. Once Michael Bloom is discharged from the hospital, we can find him and—"

"No need," Cadence said shortly. "He's not talking. I'm going to have to find him some other way, I guess." She ran a hand through her hair, glaring towards the ground. "He wouldn't have gone missing if I hadn't…" she trailed off, looking away from the fast metahuman.

"We'll find him," Barry said with utmost certainty. "I want to help as many people as I can. I want to help _you_."

Cadence nodded and looked at her watch. "I'm sure the woman you're waiting for will be fine. If she managed to fight off whomever or whatever it was that attacked her, she has a strong enough will to live. I've seen a lot of miracles, working on my residency, I think this will be another one." She brushed off her clothes. "I guess I'll see you later."

Barry waved his goodbye and made himself comfortable, he was going to be waiting for a long time. It had only taken a few minutes for the silence to be broken by his phone going off once more. He pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the Caller ID. Seeing it was Caitlin he immediately brought the phone up to his ear.

"What's going on?"

"There an electrical storm you may want to check out," Caitlin said.

"An electrical storm?" Barry sounded skeptical. "I know they can be dangerous, but—"

"One that's come out of nowhere, more importantly, inside a school?"

A sharp intake of breath caused Barry to start coughing. An electrical storm inside the school? Maybe it was the same sort of quick moving lightning that had hurt his mother. What if it was the same person striking again? He needed to know for sure. He needed to save those kids.

Barry ended the call and turned back towards the doors of the hospital. Cadence had already disappeared from sight. It wouldn't be too hard to find her. He raced out the front of the hospital and followed after the fire metahuman, coming to a stop in front of her.

Cadence's eyes widened as the sudden gust of wind blew her hair in front of her face. "Wow. I mean, I know I can move fast, but that's awesome."

Grinning, Barry crossed his arms over his chest. "Do want to help me catch a metahuman?"

* * *

 

"I can't believe I'm finally going to be able to show off my newest creation," Cisco said, rubbing his hands together. He turned and faced Barry, who was already dressed in his suit, and Cadence, who stood beside him, arms crossed and waiting for the big reveal. "Now, it might not be your style, but I had to come up with something that wouldn't catch on fire when you used your mojo. And, I had to make sure that there wasn't a lot of coverage or else it would cause your body temperature to rise at an even more accelerated rate."

"Hurry up Cisco, they don't have a lot of time," Caitlin said, her face illuminated by the computer screen. "And electromagnetic field is starting to come up around the school and if they don't get there soon, they may not be able to get in."

"OK." Cisco reached over to a panel on the wall and pressed his palm against it. The panel slid upwards and a female mannequin came sliding out, holding onto Cadence's costume. It consisted of black ankle boots, black shorts, gray spandex leggings that reached the knee, a red crop top, a darker red shrunken jacket over top, and a black bandana. Around the neck of the mannequin were goggles. "Tada!"

"Wow." Cadence walked over to the suit and gently tugged on the fabric of the leggings. It snapped back into place as she let go. "And it's fire retardant?"

"And friction retardant as well," Cisco agreed. "There are also gloves with heat seeking mechanisms in them that'll help you detect the heat from another metahuman as well as help you being able to control the fire that you emit."

"Goggles?" Barry pulled down his hood and walked over to the suit, pulling at the eyewear. "How come she gets goggle and I have to wear a mask and hood?"

"Because her hair is long enough to aid in hiding her identity," Cisco explained.

"We don't have _time_ for this!" Caitlin snapped. "Get going! Now!"

"Sheesh, if this is what she's like when she's in a good mood, I'd hate to see what happens when she gets pissed off," Cadence remarked.

Barry turned to Cadence. "Are you ready?"

Cadence, using her enhanced speed, deposited her street clothes into a locker, and changed into her costume before standing back at Barry's side. She pulled her goggles down over her eyes. "Ready," she replied.

* * *

 

Dr. Harrison Wells sat in the confines of his office. He didn't need to go out to watch Barry and Cadence fend off the newest threat. There was no need. It wasn't a particularly strong metahuman, probably a teenager that had his powers manifested and was showing off to his classmates. Or was getting revenge on a teacher. The preliminary scan showed that the metahuman's electrical storm wasn't holding up for very long periods of time.

There was no use in watching to see how the two would take care of that metahuman.

Instead, Dr. Wells retreated to his office. Once he was sure he was alone he had risen from his wheelchair and walked to the cabinet in the far corner of the room. Pulled a drawer off of its tracks, he gently placed it on the floor and pulled out a folder that had been taped to the back of the cabinet. Returning to his chair, he sat down and dropped the folder on his desk.

To anyone it would've looked like a normal folder that held many files, figures, and charts to help their research. That was what most of his folders contained, his ideas and innovations that had put S.T.A.R. Labs on the map including the original sketches for the particle accelerator. No, this one held things that were much more important.

Dr. Wells took a deep breath and pulled open the front of the folder, immediately graced with a newspaper clipping of a little girl that had won a third grade science fair. Pushing it aside, he moved more newspaper clipping out of the way. A clipping of the news of a birth, a clipping of a win of an English award, of getting on the honor roll, of graduating from college. Many clippings that held the image of the same girl over the course of her lifetime.

Clippings of Cadence.

Eyes scanning over the words that popped up from the pages, Dr. Wells tapped a finger against his chin, lost his thought. He was broken out of his reverie by a knock on the door and he quickly tucked the clippings back inside before lifting himself up from his seat and placing the folder underneath him.

"Just a minute," he called. Sitting on the folder, he directed his wheelchair to the door and pulled it open to reveal Caitlin standing a few steps away from the doorway. "Is there something wrong, Dr. Snow?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Cadence and Barry had gotten inside the school," she said. "And that the electromagnetic field has fallen. We aren't sure whether or not this is a metahuman that is a teenager or a criminal, if the latter what they want to do with the school, but the two should have him here and in the jail soon."

"Thanks for the update, though I'm not particularly too concerned with this metahuman," Dr. Wells said honestly. He grabbed onto the joystick and pulled it backwards, wheeling his chair back from him. Looking at his colleague for a long moment, he rested his forefinger and thumb against his face, framing his mouth. "Dr. Snow, why do you continue to work here? I've told you..after I was discharged, that I couldn't pay you. Not only that, but I don't believe working with Barry has been…challenging enough for you."

Caitlin couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Believe me, Dr. Wells, he's challenge enough," She remarked. Then she fell silent, looking at her feet. That was what Dr. Wells had wanted, he wanted her to think about Ronnie. To think about her fiancé and figure out what was it that was keeping her working with him, in an environment that would haunt most people for the rest of their lives. She put on a brave face every day and while there were times where she would break down, she still came to work every day. "I stay because there's so much to be discovered out there. I'd like to know what it was that made the particle accelerator to fail, if there's anything we could do to ensure a success if we were to try again.

"The backlash against only you isn't fair…all of us were working on it. We knew the risks. But we wouldn't be scientists if we continuously balked at failure." Caitlin shrugged. "Besides, once I start something, it's really hard to get me to stop." She gave a half smile.

Dr. Wells nodded. She didn't know it, but her words held a lot of significance to him. He started to turn his chair around. "Keep me posted."

"I will."

Caitlin left Dr. Well's office, closing the door behind her. Once he was sure she had gone back to help Barry and Cadence, Dr. Wells wheeled back over to the cabinet. Standing up, he grabbed the folder and replaced it against the back of the cabinet and carefully maneuvered the drawer back inside as well.

He let out a quiet sigh as he lowered himself back into the wheelchair.

How many more mistakes was he going to make before he could correct them all?


	5. Mysteries

**.:5:.**

* * *

 

Barry hurried into his lab at the CCPD, tossed his jacket down onto his chair, and flopped down into the seat. Reaching out, he shuffled papers across the face of his desk and leaned over it; the perfect image of a guy hard at work.

Hard at work pretending that his mind wasn't preoccupied with S.T.A.R. Labs and the metahumans they had captured there. Kyle Nimbus was still inside his cell, now instead of constantly turning into gas to try and break out, he sat sullenly in the corner of his cell, glaring at anybody that passed. But now he had a cell mate as Sam Mitchell, or Thunderman as Cisco called him, was in a cell as well.

He had been the one to attack the school and while it had taken him and Cadence a while to take him down, he was very much ready to continue to attack the school. Not only had he wanted to get revenge on it, having been bullied relentlessly while he had attended. Not only was he directly tormenting the teacher that had been the root of the bullying, but he had planned on blowing up the rest of the school with this thunder powers.

Barry rested his chin in his hand, thinking about the fight. It had been a particularly tough one. He arrived at the school, crashing into an invisible wall and flying back onto the ground. He was paralyzed for a moment, unable to move his arms and legs. Cadence had appeared at his side a few moments later, noticing that he was lying on the ground and stopping short of the wall. She reached out a hand and pressed a finger against the electromagnetic field, immediately receiving a shock to her finger.

"Ow!" Waving her hand, Cadence turned and knelt down by Barry's side, helping him sit up. "Something tells me you now know what a bug zapper feels like."

"Yeah, and what happens when water conducts electricity," Barry agreed. "Though it now makes me wonder why I didn't get that 'A' when I tested it for a science project back in second grade. It was a good experiment too. I took a cork and—"

"Barry!" Dr. Well's voice came over his ear piece. "As interesting as your academic prowess were when you were a child, we have more pressing matters to get through."

Barry nodded, standing up. "I don't know how we'll be able to get in there. The field is probably taking over the whole school. And this guy—"

"Thunderman," Cisco jumped in. "Sam Mitchell, I call him Thunderman."

"Right…Thunderman." Barry was sure Caitlin was rolling her eyes. "He's the center of the electromagnetic field, I'm sure of it. But if he's the center of it, he's the source, I don't think there's any way that we can—"

"Barry, wait!" Caitlin interrupted.

"What's going on?" Cadence stepped closer to Barry and moved her head towards his so she could hear what was being said. "Do they have any ideas of how we're going to get in there? Unlike you, I don't particularly want to be turned into barbecue." Her hands twitched at her sides, the tips starting to glow.

"Our scanners just showed that the field went down," Caitlin said. There was the sound of her fingers flying over the buttons on a keyboard seconds before it was drowned out by the sound of an explosion. Barry and Cadence immediately slapped their hands over their ears, trying to block the sound away.

"That sounded like thunder," Cadence remarked.

"That's it!" Caitlin cried. "The field goes down whenever he uses his power. Just like if you were to rub your feet along the carpet to conduct static electricity. It takes him some time to get the friction to get the energy he needs to be able to attack again. That's when the field goes up."

"Wait until you hear the thunder again," Cisco suggested. "Then you can get inside the field without—"

"Fuck that," Cadence interrupted. "That's going to take too long." She moved away from Barry and fireballs appeared above her hands. "The longer we wait, the more kids are going to get hurt and I'm not going to have that on my conscience!" She turned and thrust her hands out. Streams of fire shot out and hit the field, creating a low thudding sound.

"Cadence, don't!" Barry cried. "You don't know what it's going to do!"

"No, wait," Dr. Wells insisted. Barry reached his hand up and pressed it against the ear piece. Had he heard him correctly?

"Wait? But—"

"Trust me, Barry; this is something you're going to want to see."

Lowering his hand, Barry stepped back and watched as Cadence continued to shoot blasts of fire towards the shield that was in front of them. And as he watched, he could see tiny bolts of electricity continue to fly out of her hands, striking the barrier as well. It continued on like that for a few moments until she was shooting bolts of pure electricity out of her hands.

"How is she doing that?" Barry asked.

Cadence slowly lowered her hands, her brown eyes widening in awe behind her goggles as crackles of electricity moved around her fingers. Lifting her head, she looked over at Barry and was that she was just as confused as he was.

"Pyro-Electrokinesis," Dr. Wells said. There was an air of pride in his voice. "The ability to manipulate fire and electricity. They hold the same properties as well as the basis of electricity coming from heat."

"That…is _so_ cool," Cisco declared. "OK, now Glow Stick could really work for a name because of that, but I don't think it holds the same sort of power as The Flash. I really need to go back to the drawing board on this one."

"Ignore him," Caitlin snapped. "Now that she can manipulate electricity as well, you can break down the barrier and get in there. Stop him before he hurts anyone else!"

"You got it."

Barry turned and nodded towards Cadence who used her newfound abilities to knock down the shield before the two had gone inside. It had been difficult to take down Sam; no matter how quickly he or Cadence moved to dodge his attacks he shot blasts of electricity in their way, as if anticipating their movements. Barry waited until Sam started to tire out and used his speed to get in a bunch of punches and kicks at warped speed, so that the students and teacher that huddled in the back of the room weren't able to see.

Cadence then, after seeing Barry knock Sam to the ground, used a bolt of electricity on him. A thundercloud had appeared in the room and a brilliant white bolt shot down from the ceiling in a direct hit. The electricity that coursed through Sam's veins overloaded his body and he was immediately knocked out. Throwing him over his shoulder, Barry picked him up and threw him over her shoulder and the two raced back to S.T.A.R. Labs to deposit him in a cell of the particle accelerator.

"So how'd the suit work out?" Cisco asked as Cadence as Dr. Wells made sure that the cell would hold the electric meta-human. "I didn't figure that you'd be able to manipulate electricity too, so I think I may need to change some of it to be sure that you don't conduct anything while you're doing your thing."

"Just as long as you don't call me Glow Stick," Cadence replied with a half smile. Then the smile faded as she walked over towards the cell. Eyes narrowing in disgust, she shook her head, looking over towards the teen as he sat in the back of his cell, tossing a ball of electricity back and forth between his hands. Noticing her in front of him he glared and she lifted her middle finger in response.

"This is simply amazing," Caitlin said, walking around Cadence as she slowly raised and lowered a canner. "I've always known the properties of fire and electricity to be the same, everyone knows that. But I didn't think it'd be possible for one metahuman to be able to control both."

Barry twisted his mouth to the side, scratching the side of his head. "Would that be possible for me, too?" Then a frown crossed his face as he thought about the night his mother had been murdered. There was that tornado, the person inside it having the same powers Barry did. But was he able to control electricity as well? He sort of remembered there being little crackles that would suggest it. And even if he wasn't the one to be able to control it typically, it didn't mean that he couldn't eventually work his way up to it. It was like Caitlin was saying earlier, if he could run especially fast over an area that was conductible, he'd be able to do it too.

 _Or are there other abilities that I haven't learned yet,_ Barry thought, now focusing back on the work in front of him. _I only just got my powers months ago; she's had hers for a long time._ Reaching up a hand, he made sure that all of his hair was still in place. As they had been leaving, Cadence had touched the metal handle of the door to S.T.A.R. Labs at the same time that Cisco had touched the other one and a jolt of electricity had gone through, gently shocking those that were nearest to her. She had quickly apologized, trying to hide her laughter at the way everyone's hair had stood on end. _There's a lot we still don't know about this._

"Barry!"

Startled, Barry looked up in time to see Iris and Eddie walking into his lab. He tried to hide his grimace, noticing the two of them holding hands. It's not like they flaunted it in his face, he had been the one to remind them time and time again that he knew about their relationship in their awkward silences when he was around. As long as he didn't have to see it, he could go on pretending it didn't exist.

"Oh, hey, guys," he said as casually as he could. "What are you doing up here?"

Eddie dropped his hand from Iris's and clasped it around the tiny notebook he pulled from his pocket. "Joe is asking for the information from the domestic violence case," Eddie replied, raising an eyebrow. "Remember? He wanted to get clarification of the fingerprints that were found on the woman's neck as well as around the apartment." He nodded towards the papers that sat in front of Barry. "And those files are some of the findings from the medical examiner. Have you gotten a chance to look over them?"

"Oh." Barry's gaze lowered to the papers that sat in front of him. "Well, I—"

Iris, sending Barry's hesitation, turned towards her boyfriend and laid a hand on her arm. "Eddie, give him a break," she suggested. "He only just got here and you're already throwing questions at him a mile a minute." Flashing a warm smile that only Iris West could do, she rubbed his arm. "Relax a little."

Taking the moment of Eddie's distraction, Barry used his speed to flip through the pages, taking in the information that was given to him. That was one of the things he really enjoyed about his newfound abilities. Not only was he smart in the first place, but now that he had his metahuman abilities he was able to process information much faster than he had before. The only drawback was when he was trying to sleep, not only had he had an active mind when he was young, but now his thoughts flew through his head so fast he was up for hours before he finally got drowsy enough to fall asleep and even then his dreams flashed by at a mile a minute.

"Yes, well," he stood up, holding the pages in his hands. "The DNA on the woman's neck doesn't match any of the criminals we have in the database meaning, at this point, it could be just about anyone. As well as the information from the medical examiner concluding that the man had died from blunt force trauma to the head. Considering the skull fracture as well as the placement of the blow, I would assume that he had been taken by surprise and then his wife came in to try and help and wound up caught in the crossfire as well." Smirking, he handed the papers over to Eddie. "I'd say you're looking for the weapon that caused the blunt force trauma, which could be anything in the house. I'd look for a bat or a golf club of some sort."

Eddie slowly reached out, taking the papers from Barry's hands. He watched the forensic assistant suspiciously before he sighed, shoulders relaxing. "Well, thank you, Barry. Now I can finally tell Joe that there was a break in the case." He turned and started to leave the room.

"Have you heard anything about the woman?" Barry called after him. He chewed his lower lip. "I-Is she alright? What about her son?" He looked over at Iris as she turned her gaze to the floor, appearing just as anxious as he was. She knew it was hard for him to get through his mother's death, especially considering how he had and continued to maintain the idea that his father hadn't done what he did.

But the story was strange.

A man in a tornado?

Was that even possible?

But it was really sweet how he had hadn't wanted anything like that to happen to any other kid. He could be a bit socially awkward around people, but he was a big brother to every kid that seemed to come his way.

Eddie, knowing the story of Barry Allen's parents—the whole city knew of it—gave Barry a sympathetic glance. He sighed then responded, "She's still in the coma she had fallen into after arriving at the hospital. There hasn't been any improvements or otherwise." He walked over to Barry and placed a hand on his shoulder. It took everything I Barry's body not to shrug the hand off of his shoulder. Not only would it put major points _against_ him in Iris's eyes, but it would be disrespectful to his co-worker. "We'll let you know when something happens, Barry. I promise."

Barry nodded and Eddie turned, leaving the lab.

Iris watched her boyfriend leave then turned to her best friend, her lips slightly pursed. Lowering himself in his chair, Barry reached out towards the packet of fries from Big Belly Burger and froze when he spotted the stare that Iris was sending his way. "Yes?"

"You just got here a few minutes ago," Iris accused him.

Barry hesitated for a moment, it was the slowest he had moved in a long time, and then stuck a fry into his mouth in nonchalance. "What makes you say that?"

Rolling her eyes, the young woman walked around the desk to stand next to her best friend. "Does it matter other than that Dad was asking for you?" She crossed her arms. "And when I came up here a few minutes ago, you weren't here. I have no idea how you managed to get back so fast. I'd think you were a ninja if that was the most reasonable explanation to why you're being so secretive lately."

His heart sank.

Still, he didn't say anything, wondering how much she had figured out yet.

"And when you came over for dinner, you smelled like smoke," Iris continued. "And when I asked you, you said that someone had smoked a cigarette near you. Barry, we both tried cigarettes for the first time, together. I think I know the smell of something that nearly made us hack up a lung." She ran a hand over her face. "And thank God it didn't become a habit; I wouldn't want any premature wrinkling. _Or_ to get winded when I'm shopping. The Central City Mall has four floors; not being able to make it around one would be murder."

"No, we wouldn't want that," Barry agreed. Iris playfully hit him on the arm. "Not that it'd matter, Iris, you'd look amazing even if you had wrinkles."

"That's not going to get you out of this," Iris warned. She uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips, leaning towards him. Her eyes were set right on him and he looked back into them, briefly stunned by how serious they were. Her eyes, honestly, were his favorite part about her, they were always so expressive. All of her emotions were revealed by her eyes and he constantly found himself lost in them. Now, however, he was worried at the seriousness she saw in them.

She wasn't going to let him go without getting answers.

"Barry Allen, what is it that you're keeping from me?" She demanded. When Barry didn't quickly answer, she tilted her head to the side. "Are you having trouble at work? Are you getting chased by a bad crowd again?"

His features twisted into an expression of offense. When he was younger he had problem with bullies. He didn't like the way they picked on the smaller kids and stood up for them the best he could, often resulting in his getting chased and pummeled in return. Now she was insinuating that he had more people chasing after him and that he couldn't take care of himself.

 _If only she knew how many guys I've been able to put away,_ he thought, starting to smirk once more. _Then she wouldn't think of me as whimpy little Barry Allen anymore._

"What is it?" She demanded. "We used to talk about everything, Barry."

"We didn't talk about when you decided to start going out with Eddie," Barry shot back before he could stop himself. Iris's eyes flashed. "I mean, you kept that huge secret from me. Why didn't you tell me, Iris? I could've helped keep your Dad from finding out."

"You were in a coma, Barry."

 _Oh yeah._ The Flash's eyes shifted. Still, it hurt. After seeing the way she had reacted to him surprising her at Jitters…and then finding her kiss another guy. She _hadn't_ planned on telling him unless he had found out. That wasn't a life-threatening secret—not his life anyway—that had no means to be kept from him. She hadn't kept her other boyfriends a secret and not all of them were that great either. "Still, you didn't seem like you were going to say anything until you had to. Like Joe!" He gestured towards the opening of the lab.

"Hi Daddy," Iris said softly.

Looking to the side, Barry noticed that Detective West watching the two of them. From the unappreciative expression on his face, he had been watching the two of them for a while. Slowly walking into the room, he clasped his hands together behind his back.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked, knowing quite well he had.

"Oh, sir, we were just—"

"—arguing so loudly that the entire precinct could hear you," Joe interrupted. He cleared his throat. "You know I don't allow personal business to get in the way of work here," he added before turning to his daughter. "That's what the two of you agreed upon when I said that you could continue to come by, am I right?"

"Yeah after you told me that I couldn't apply for the police academy," Iris replied.

Barry sucked in a short breath. She was clearly still stung by the whole thing and Barry heard about it every now and then when she was struggling with one of her papers or exams at Central City University. When she wasn't in the middle of potentially tearing up her pages she was wondering what her life would've been like if she had gone behind her father's wishes and continued on with the work it took to become a police officer herself.

"Yes, well, we're not talking about that right now, baby," Joe said, his voice softening. He walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the side of the head. "I have to speak with Barry about a case, so if you don't mind…"

Iris sighed. "You'd think having my father as a Detective I'd get _some_ perks," she said. "I mean, even my blog needs sprucing up a bit along with the news I have about the Streak. I've still got witnesses and sightings, but nothing more. But there is a rumor that there's something or someone working with him now. The attack on the school…there were many reports that there was someone with him."

Expertly avoiding Joe's glance, Barry crossed his arms. "I'm sure they were just seeing things. I mean, if the Streak is as good as they say, he could do as much as two people right?"

"I don't know," Iris trailed off.

"Baby, please, I have police business that I need to talk to Barry about," Joe insisted. Iris pouted and turned on her heel, walking out of the room. She may have been willing to drop that conversation, but Barry knew he was going to get an earful the next time she saw him. Turning back to the Joe, the speedster prepared for the next question. "The one that was with you…that was Cadence Nash right?"

"Right," Barry agreed.

"Is she joining you guys?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Cisco and Dr. Wells seem ready to have her join us. Caitlin is really interested to see the extent of her abilities and everything because she's had them since she was young. And…she's a nice person but…I can't help but think there's something off about her. Something she's hiding."

Joe gave him a look. "Just like you're hiding being The Flash, as you call yourself, from Iris?"

His mouth dropped open slightly before Barry closed it and gave a short nod. Joe was right. He had no right to constantly think there was something going on with her when she probably had to hide as much of herself from others as he had to do.

"But speaking of Cadence, I've got a hit on where her brother could be," Joe said to him. He pulled a file folder form behind his back and handed it over to Barry. "We've gotten Michael Bloom to talk and while he won't tell us whom he's working for he has agreed to give us an idea of where the boy is."

"Really? Why would he do that?"

"Because in return we're going to let him go," Joe replied. "We can't trace him back to any crimes and as far as we're concerned he wasn't the one that had done the kidnapping."

"But he's an accessory!"

"That's where CCPD. We're going to need the Flash to find out where he is and get him back safely. We'll take care of the rest." He turned to leave and then came back and looked hard at Barry, poking him in the chest. "And don't do anything stupid."

Barry smirked. "Do you _really_ think I'd do something like that?"

* * *

 

Cadence went to the door of her tiny one bedroom apartment to make sure it was closed and locked before walking back into the living room. Stopping at the threshold, she crossed her arms, regarding the blue eyed, blonde haired man that sat on the couch across from her, arms draped leisurely over the back of the couch.

"Did you come to check up on me?" She smirked, dark eyes flashing.

The man smiled an evil smile. "You know Breathtaker wants to be sure that everything is going the way it's planned."

"Lucas—"Cadence started but was cut off as the man leaned forward, menace suddenly as mask over his face.

"We can't have this plan get screwed up," he growled. "We know he's still out there and the quicker we find him, the quicker things will go our way. You had your last assignment and the woman is in a coma. She's not _dead_!"

"I know that," Cadence replied, voice cracking. "But…I saw the pictures around…the little boy, I couldn't—"

"It doesn't matter. None of them matter." Lucas clasped his hands together. "You found The Streak? You know where he is?" Cadence nodded. "Good. Keep doing what you're doing. Lull him into a false sense of security. You'll know when it's the right time to get rid of him." He stood up and went over to Cadence, sneering at her, putting his face close to hers. "Don't mess this up! Got it?"

"Have I ever messed up before?" Defiantly she looked back at him with the same amount of aggression.

He smirked. "No."

"And I plan on keeping it that way."

Lucas's smirked widened and he nodded. Waving his arms a gust of wind blew from behind him, and towards the door, opening the locks with a single snap. He stepped around Cadence and walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind him with a quick jerk of his arm.

After locking the door once more, Cadence walked over to the desk that was tucked into the corner of the room and pulled out a drawer. Taped to the underside was a manila folder that she ripped out and placed on the desktop. Fingers twitching in anticipation she reached out and opened the folder, glancing at the reports from the night of the particle accelerator explosion.

The answers to the mystery were there somewhere; she just had to figure out where it was hiding.


	6. Understanding

**.:6:.**

* * *

 

Cadence had been running by herself around Central City at a leisurely pace. With a quick shift of her body weight she could go to her top speed, up to at least 300 mph, but she hadn't felt the need to do it that day. She was finally calm, relaxed and didn't want anything to get in the way of it. What was the rush? She didn't have anything that she had to do that day, no attacks she had to go out and due, it was a day off from the hospital, she finally had some time to herself.

There were times where she didn't want to go as fast as she could, rather being able to take in the sights and the smells and the sounds that she could get from the early morning run. But this time, she had to keep herself from going into an all out spring that would have her back in Metropolis faster than she could blink. And after all of what had happened back there, she didn't want to subconsciously end up there again, or Smallville for that matter.

Things had really started to die down in Smallville; she hadn't been back there in a while. Maybe she could go visit and see how things were doing over there. _That's a great idea, Cade, if you want to get noticed as soon as you come into the vicinity of the city,_ she thought. _It was bad enough having to know everyone was talking about you back in Metropolis; they're probably doing it in Smallville, too._ Cadence continued to run down the trail in the woods on the outskirts of the city, trying to concentrate on her breathing, but with each step she found herself getting angrier and angrier.

It was her own fault that her life had turned out the way it had. She was happy in a lot of areas about it, but for some reason she couldn't seem to stop making mistakes. As she continued to run, increasing her speed, she could feel the air around her immediately starting to warm around her.

"Whoa!"

Cadence immediately stopped and turned around, watching as Barry frantically swing at the tree she had just passed with his shirt. He swatted at the bark until the tiny flames went out, small streams of black smoke twisting up towards the sky. Placing her hands on her hips, she watched as Barry coughed for a second, and then gave the tree one last swat before walking over to her.

"You can heat up the air, too?" He asked her.

Cadence tilted her head to the side, her hair moving out of her face. "Only when I'm in a bad mood," she admitted after a slight hesitation. "Usually I have such a good handle on it but—"

"But your powers are intensified by your anger," Barry interrupted. Cadence nodded. "Yeah, I noticed it the last time we were fighting. Cisco was pretty upset that you burned a hole through his suit. He didn't think it was possible." Chuckling, he walked over towards her, stuffing his singed shirt down the back of his shorts.

Cadence's eyes lowered to his stomach then she smirked, her eyes rising once more to meet his. She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes sparkling with mischief. "With abs like that, I'm surprised you don't have a girlfriend, Barry," she remarked. "Then again, you do have a tendency to put your foot in your mouth when you're not doing the whole, superhero thing." She waved a hand then noticed that he had turned away, a small smile on his face. "Did I embarrass you?" She asked before laughing quietly. "I figured with all of the praise 'The Streak' gets you'd be used to it by now."

Barry shrugged, turning back towards her. "It's kind of hard to get used to the praise when you're too worried about what your powers are going to do next." He fell into step beside her and the two started to walk along the trail. "Will my metabolism suddenly spike so much that I can't get any energy from the food I eat and starve to death? Will I move so quickly I'll actually set myself on fire and not be able to put it out? Will I rapidly age?"

"That wouldn't be so bad would it?" Cadence broke in teasingly. "With that Baby Face, I think you'd be able to lie about your age for a long time. No one would be the wiser."

Barry laughed, tilting his head back as he looked towards the sky. "Some guys at work call me that," he said to her. "It didn't really bother me at first, because it seemed like they were trying to get used to me. But…I don't know, I think they use it as a way to feel that they don't think I belong there." His eyebrows rose for a minute. "Sometimes, I don't think I belong there, either."

"Because of your powers?" She guessed. Barry nodded. "I know the feeling." She paused, taking a deep breath. "Growing up, when I was still trying to understand what was going on with my powers…I was about eight years old. And then you really want to do nothing but fit in with everyone. I had friends, I wasn't bullied, I got along with a lot of people. But then after my powers started to show, my parents told me that I couldn't let anyone know about it. But it was really cool, being able to play with fireballs, not able to get hurt as easily, what kid _wouldn't_ want to brag about it a little. So I showed it off to my friends. They started calling me a freak, saying I was weird, and I shut myself down from that for a long time and just tried to develop my powers on my own, in secret.

"It was pretty hard, hiding it I mean. I can be a bit of a klutz and I got bruises and cuts like no one's business because I was always tripping or walking into something. Being able to heal that quickly was just amazing. I could play football with the guys and not worry about getting hurt, I could play soccer as hard as I wanted, I could really do anything. I had school records for my track team because I could run so fast; a lot of it was just so great. But then…there was always the worry. Would I be taken from my parents? Would I be turned over to the police? Ridiculed? Outcasted?

"I had even thought there was a chance that I'd be taken away and probed by scientists or something. So I basically outcasted myself; studied, got good grades, kept to myself in school. Everything that I could do to make sure no one around me would find out that I was just…different. And I was always treated differently, like people were waiting for me to do something. And even when I did get my friends back around high school, at a time, where you want nothing more than to have friends, I quickly realized I was still too different. They would question why things would get so warm whenever they were around me, how I could get work done so quickly, how I would heal after a knock or a bruise so easily, things I couldn't answer.

"And even as it got better as time went on, I was still highly aware that I was different and it was just this thing hanging over me that wasn't going to go away. Things were fine for a while and then I heard about the particle accelerator explosion. Really, who wouldn't hear about that? Then I heard about you being in a nine month coma, and then heard that you were moved to S.T.A.R. Labs to get some more treatment, which was originally strange because it was the place that had caused the explosion, so why would they bring it back? Then nine months later the news broke that the man that was in the nine-month coma woke up and shortly afterwards there was a red streak fighting fires and saving people. It was a guess that you had some sort of powers like I did, as Dr. Wells had mentioned I've known him for a while as we'd stayed in contact, because of his studies. He's an old family friend from what my parents have told me. So…I came to find you."

Cadence shrugged and looked over at Barry, who had listened quietly to her whole story. Suddenly, she realized the mistake she may have just made. This was a guy that knew absolutely nothing about her and she had gone and spilled everything about herself and her back story to him without a second thought. Why was that? What was so different about him that caused her to suddenly blurt out everything like that? Maybe because he was just so reliable, he was obviously a very friendly person, liked to put his best in everything he ever did, and was someone that was trying hard to get through life while still reeling from his mother's death as well as adjusting to life as a metahuman in general.

And he managed to do it all with a smile on his face.

"I know exactly how you feel," he said to her, taking a deep breath. He let it out in a long sigh; reaching up to scratched the back of his neck. "I can't even tell my best friend that I'm a metahuman, that I can do what I do. I have to sit back and act like everything is normal when in the time that she can turn her back to grab a book off the shelf, I can get all the way to New York and back with a cronut."

Cadence smiled.

"And it's starting to take its toll," Barry admitted. "She keeps asking about what's going on, knowing I'm hiding something. And even then, she's started this blog that talks about the streak, about _me_ and doesn't seem to understand that she's putting herself in danger because of the connection to the streak." He placed a hand on his chest. "The connection to me and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her because of me."

Cadence nodded in agreement. That was it, she realized. That was why she had trusted Barry so quickly with all of the things she had gone through, because he understood her and what she was constantly living with. In some ways, they were two peas in a pod, forced into that pod under circumstances they didn't have a choice in. Unlike those that were constantly ravaging Central City to get revenge on those that had slighted them, to use the powers to rob banks and do whatever it was that they wanted because they _could,_ she and Barry still had the sense of right from wrong.

 _For the most part,_ Cadence thought. Though she didn't particularly think what she was doing was wrong. Glancing over towards the speedy metahuman once more, she could see that despite what he had just said, there was still a smile on his face, and that stunned her more than anything. He had just explained everything he was so worried about, how he had gotten into a fight with his best friend over his double-life, and he could still smile.

"But I'd be glad to know that I can help her when she needs it. If I can help as many people as I can…then it'd all be worth it."

"You've got a great head on your shoulders, Barry. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She gave him a smile and turned back towards the path, just in time to walk into a tree. A startled cry escaped her lip as Barry burst out into hysterical laughter. Taking a few steps back, the fire metahuman cupped her nose, feeling the cuts and tiny scratches on her face. She didn't think she had broken her nose, but she had _definitely_ moved into it hard enough so that it was probably going to bruise in a matter of hours. "Geez, dude, you're faster than I am and you can't warn me when I'm about to walk into a tree."

Barry, who had his hands clutched against his stomach, tried to sober from his laughter. But watching as Cadence continued to rub her nose made him laugh harder. "I'm sorry," he finally managed to gasp out. "It's….it's just so funny." Cadence glared at him and he quickly slowed his laughter. "I mean, if you think that pain is funny. But it must mean something if on America's Funniest Home videos there's an uncanny amount of videos of people hurting themselves. Even in the three finalists there's bound to be one video that's about someone falling off a roof or getting hit by something. I assume we're all masochists in a way." As he continued to speak, his excitement showing through his words, he continued to speak at warp speed, his words jumbling together the longer her spoke until it sounded like a low humming sound. But he could hear every word he said as clear as day, though he was aware that his mouth was moving at rapid speed.

Watching him with wide eyes, Cadence lowered her hands from her nose and Barry could see the small cuts and scratches slowly heal themselves until it appeared she hadn't injured herself at all. "Wow, you really _are_ smart."

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Don't apologize. It's nice to see when people are passionate about things."

"No, I mean about the motor mouth thing," he said. "I tend to get really excited and give a lot of information—"he paused. "You understood me?" He asked her.

"Yeah…" she said slowly. "I mean, I'm not so smart that I could get every connection and sometimes really big words confuse me but—"

"No, I mean, I was talking really, _really_ fast. You could understand me?"

"Yeah."

Barry slowly started to smile, something that was actually starting to get on Cadence's nerves. Did the guy ever go one day without smiling? But she never got a chance to think about that more, as Barry looked like he was a little kid on a massive sugar high. He couldn't sit still, itching to get to S. . Labs. He reached out and grabbed onto her shoulders. "Cade, we need to get to S.T.A.R. Labs; the guys are going to want to hear about this." He flashed her a challenging smile, letting go of her shoulders and starting to back away from her. "Race ya. I'll even give you a head start."

He barely got the last word out of his mouth before Cadence took off at top-speed, racing towards S. . Labs as quickly as she could. Barry came up behind her in a few seconds and was at her side, keeping pace with her.

Now he smirked.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" He called over to her.

Cadence matched his smirk with one of her own. "Just watch me!" She called back. The two started to run even faster, the air crackling with electricity—from Barry—and heat—from Cadence—as they went along. The two raced to the end of the trail and continued towards S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry zipped back and forth across the trail whenever something would come in his way and Cadence would leap over; bounced off of, use fallen logs or trees as leverage to propel herself forward as they went. When they reached the city, Cadence continued to move in what was as linear of a line as she could while Barry zipped off down a side street and disappeared from her view.

She wasn't surprised that when she arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs, bursting through the front doors that caused Caitlin to let out a huff as her hair blew out of her face and a stack of papers she had been carrying blew to the ground, to find Barry already sitting on a desk top, leisurely kicking his legs back and forth.

"What took you so long?" The smug smile on his face made Cadence want to drop-kick him.

"You cheated," She accused him, laughing lightly. "You have longer legs; you've been in this city longer than I have, and I'm sure that with your narrow head you're more aerodynamic." She bent down beside Caitlin and started to help her clean up the papers that had been strewn about.

Barry pouted as Cisco laughed loudly. He turned to the technician. "Is my head narrow?"

"It _is_ kinda small," he admitted, shrugging before sticking a blow pop into his mouth. "But that doesn't matter. It's a good thing that you guys are here. I was just going over your suits from the last fight that you guys had and I've found that the material can easily withstand the heat from the electricity and the electromagnetic field that was put up." He held up a finger. "However, I don't understand how it hadn't caused the electric properties of your headset out of commission but the guy was probably not very good at controlling his powers so we should just chalk that up to a win for the good guys." He grinned around his blow pop, giving a double thumbs up.

"Oh and I've found some very interesting things from Cadence's blood," Caitlin added, having finally picked up every fallen sheet of paper. She flashed Cadence a small smile of thanks before reaching into her desk drawer and pulling out a penlight. Pulling open Cadence's eyes she shined the light inside, watching the iris contract, before going over to Barry and doing the same. "It shows that she had great healing properties, not just for herself but for other people."

"Yeah," Cadence agreed. "It's why I'm working to become a pediatrician. I just want to help in any way that I can."

"Right," Caitlin said. She backed away from Barry as he squirmed n her grasp, tired of the light being shown in his eyes. "And after more research I started to think that maybe Barry can do the same thing, but hasn't been able to reach that sort of potential yet. So I looked at your guys' blood under the microscope and even then I've found so much more stuff. Barry does have the capability of being able to heal other people if there was a chance he could do so. But within your blood, Cadence, is similar instances of the things that have shown up in Barry's blood from the particle accelerator explosion!"

"Wait." Barry jumped down from the desk, crossing his arms over his chest. He seemed to have noticed that he was still shirtless for he quickly grabbed the t-shirt that was tucked into his shorts and pulled it over his heat.

Cisco's eyes widened at eth scorch marks and soot on the front. "What'd you do? Sneeze on him?"

Rolling her eyes, Cadence turned to the youngest member of S.T.A.R. Labs. "No! I can't breathe fire from my nose. That'd be, like, having dragon breath or something." Her eyes lit up as she pointed over towards him. "But I can kinda do that. If I breathe in a certain way, I can heat up food and even set candles on fire."

"That's _so_ awesome! We have to test it out!"

"You have any candles?"

"Guys! Focus!" Barry said to them.

Cisco and Cadence nodded, shoulders slumping as if they had been reprimanded by their parents. "Sorry," they apologized in unison.

"So you're saying that whatever sort of energy was in the particle accelerator, that turned me into a metahuman is the same thing that's in Cadence's blood?" Barry asked Caitlin, to be sure. When the bioengineer nodded her confirmation, he ran a hand through his hair. "How is that even possible?" He whispered.

"That, Mr. Allen, is what we need to find out," Harrison announced his presence, wheeling into the room. He studied the young adults that stood in front of him and came to a stop at the edge of the circle. Shifting in his seat, he cleared his throat, bringing a hand up to his mouth. Everyone waited to hear what he had to say but the seconds continued to stretch on. His eyebrows twitched together almost in an expression of irritation, before he calmed and removed his hand from his face. "It is very…noteworthy that this has come across in your findings Dr. Snow and I commend you for that," he said. "However, it seems to open up a lot of questions and scenarios we've never thought about before, does it not?"

"Like what?" Cisco spoke up. "That Barry and Cadence may be related due to their superhuman powers?"

Caitlin chuckled towards her friend and co-worker. "That's highly unlikely, Cisco. Despite instances in their blood being similar there is no DNA match between them."

"Thank God," Barry said. He looked over at Cadence when he noticed her look. "Not that I wouldn't want to be related to you, that'd be kinda cool to have you as a sister. But I don't think of you as a sister. Not necessarily in that way." A pained expression came to his face. "Not that I don't think about you in _any_ way but…" he trailed off. "Wow, I'm just digging myself a deeper grave here, aren't I?"

"Just a little," Cadence pointed out.

"The point I'm trying to make here is that there are a lot of different scientific mysteries that we're going to face and hopefully make headway with," Harrison continued. "Hopefully through the means of Mr. Allen as his powers continue to develop and he finds new things he can do."

"About that." Barry stuck a finger into the air. "I can talk, like, really fast. Fast enough that, like, my words become super jumbled. "He waved his hands by his face. "Kind of like how I can vibrate my vocal chords to distort my voice, I can do that when I'm speaking."

"Really?" Cisco's eyes widened. He practically started to jump up and down like a giddy school girl. "This is just getting better and better. I bet you would so own it at a rap contest."

Caitlin reached into her drawer once more, this time taking out a tape recorder. She pressed the record button on the side. "Test number thirty-five, speech speed." She then walked over to Barry and held the tape recorder out towards him. "OK, Barry, as quickly as you can, please recite the numbers of pi as far as you can."

Laughing nervously, Barry ran a hand through his hair once more. "What? You think I actually know that by heart?" At the resounding nods he got in response, his shoulders slumped and he nodded. "Yeah, well, I had to learn them to win a signed baseball bat form a contest." He cleared his throat, leaned closer to the tape recorder and started to slowly recite the numbers in pi until his lips were moving at a quick velocity, unintelligible sounds coming out as he continued to speak. Finally he reached the last number and waited as Caitlin stopped recording and pulled the tape recorder away, jaw dropped. "What?"

"That's amazing," she breathed. "I…couldn't understand a word you said, but that was…" Eyes lit up with excitement she picked up a clipboard and started to take notes on it. "This is amazing! There's always so much that we're figuring out with Barry. It's like Dr. Wells said,"—she gestured over towards the older man, who gave a small, satisfied smile—"there are so many different things we haven't thought of checking out and now…"

"Well then that brings me to a question," Cadence said, raising her hand into the air. She gave a wicked smile, pointing at Barry. "If you can speak so fast, vibrate your vocal chords, all around just move pretty quickly…when you're with a girl, does that mean—"

"—I don't think that's a question that we particularly need the answer to, Miss. Nash," Harrison interrupted. His voice was low, dark, eyes trained directly on her. The fire metahuman immediately dropped her smile and nodded. "There are more important things we need to deal with…such as the discovery that has been made today." He wheeled closer to her. "I'd like to work with you more," he admitted to her. "Only if you'd allow us those opportunities, but I can assure you things will be very…difficult if you don't agree." Once again, there was a change in his tone, almost undetectable.

He had it down to a science. They didn't have to know everything he was doing and everything he knew, there were some points of his life that had to be kept private and whether he felt that there were things they should know, he would tell them. At the present moment in time he just had some of his work throw a curveball his way and was mentally reeling from the frustration.

He couldn't have her leave, not yet.

"Well, I mean, I'm in Central City to—"

"And have a lead on that," Barry jumped in, turning to face her. He gave her a warm smile. "In fact, that's why I came to find you today. Joe…Detective West told me that Michael Bloom, he's going to talk, he's going to say what happened and where we can find him and once that meeting is set up…we'll find him. I promise."

Cadence's lower jaw moved to the side. Her eyebrows twitched and she did her best not to let her own frustration show on her face. On one hand, it was all she had wanted and would make her life so much easier, where she didn't have to constantly worry about it or what Lucas and Breathtaker was doing to him. But on the other hand…it put her in debt towards them and she couldn't do that, not when she had her most recent assignment. _Oh, God._

"We want you to join the team, officially." Cisco's voice broke her out of her thoughts. He watched as Cadence's eyebrows moved upwards in surprise. "What you can do… instead of using your powers to do whatever it is you wanted, you've been using it for good."

"And you've been a great deal of help towards us and Barry in the terms of finding out how metahumans work and what they can do," Caitlin added. "Our progress with understanding metahumans and trying to figure out who could be the net one has jumped immensely. Besides,"—she placed a hand beside her mouth as if it would block the others from hearing her—"There could be some other girls around her. Don't get me wrong, but all of the testosterone around here can be draining sometimes."

Cisco and Barry laughed.

Harrison lowered his voice so that only she could hear him. "What other alternatives do you have?" He reminded her gently. She detected the tone to his voice this time, hinting that he knew something about her she didn't want known. "You've said that you left Metropolis and came out here to meet Barry, but that you left your parents' house as well as your friends behind because of the secret that you kept, because of the powers you've been able to exhibit since you were a child. We could use your help here, see how your powers had developed over the time and see how you can help Barry with the development of his."

Flicking her hair out of her face, Cadence felt herself starting to lose her resolve. Her voice was quiet, sincere as she spoke next. "What do I get in return?"

"Friends," Barry replied.

He went over to Cadence and put a hand on her shoulder. He looked down at her with genuine friendship that only Barry Allen could give to anyone that came his way. Despite not having very many fiends throughout his life as well as having moments where he could be awkward around new people, he had found fiends through Cisco and Caitlin because of what they did at S.T.A.R. Labs.

But he still felt alone in some ways because they didn't understand what it was he was going through. They didn't know what it was like to have powers that were constantly taking over his normal life, how he had to keep such a big secret from his best friend who was also his family, how he had to make sure no one saw his quick movements or noticed that he could move from the spot he was standing in to the other side of the city and back in a flash. How…alienated he felt even when he was able to show that he was normal.

And now there was someone else that did understand, someone that had fought alongside him a couple of times, someone he had been able to help out. Someone he could talk to who understood the pitfalls as well as the peaks of having the sort of powers they had. He had felt nothing but elation when he had started to speak so quickly than his words moved at warp speed and she could completely understand him, having been able to do the same.

"Someone to confide in," he continued. "People to lean on, to trust, to feel they have your best at heart. You have a home here at S.T.A.R. Labs if you want it."

Cadence let out a slow breath, lowering her gaze. There was a part of her that she wasn't telling them, the part of her that had been alive and working for about as long as she could remember.

Having moved out on her own at eighteen years old she had to find some way to make some money and that's where Lucas came in. She had continued to work with him and the man that she only knew as the Breathtaker for those six years and it brought them even more money she could have ever anticipated. _Now you have your next assignment, how are they going to feel when you do what you're supposed to do?_ She immediately pushed the thought away.

That's what, as Lucas had told her, would cause her to mess things up, just like she had on the last target. There couldn't be any feelings, any emotions or else she'd get too attached.

Besides, this was the best way to wait and strike at the right time.

She turned back to Harrison, Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry as they waited for her answer.

"I think that you'd really thrive here at S.T.A.R. Labs," he said to her. "You don't have to hide…to make bad choices anymore."

Cadence nodded. "Thanks," she finally said. "I'd like that."


	7. Revelations

**.:7:.**

_Revelations_

* * *

 

"Barry, I need to see you now."

Barry blinked in surprise when Joe—who had just walked by him with Eddie at his side—waved him over, not breaking his stride. Clutching his morning coffee tighter in his hand, Barry glanced over his shoulder before scurrying after them.

"Uh, did I already do something?" He asked. "Because I _just_ got here." He glanced at his watch. "On time for once."

Joe shot him a look then his eyes traveled down to the coffee that rested in Barry's hand. The speedy metahuman slowly moved it behind his back as he fell in-step behind his pseudo-father. "I can see that," Joe said. His right eyebrow rose. "And I see that you didn't bother to get a cup of coffee for me."

Barry mimicked a fish for a few moments before he finally found his voice. "I was just talking to Iris…trying to apologize for our fight," he explained. "I'm sorry, I didn't think to—"

"Barry, I was kidding," Joe reassured him. He glanced at Eddie, who was still striding at a good pace ahead of them. "And I know things are still hard between you and Iris. Not only are you trying to keep her safe but that girl is as stubborn as a damn mule. How do you think she managed to break me down and finally buy her that Easy Bake Oven?"

"Those cakes were pretty sweet," Barry agreed. "It's still hard to believe that one tiny light bulb can make things so small." He held up his hand and held his fingers a few inches apart. "And not only that, but considering how dangerous the melting plastic could've been the fact it managed to sell so many units despite complaints about burns and…" he trailed off, noticing the funny looks Joe and Eddie were sending his way. He slowed to a stop. "What?"

"I just didn't know you were so into Easy Bake Ovens, Barry," Eddie said with an amused smile. He reached over and patted the twenty-five year old on the arm. "Tell you what, next time we have a Police Gala, we'll have you set up on desserts, huh?"

Barry twisted his mouth to the side, frowning as Joe chuckled to himself, trying to hide it from his foster son. "I was totally kidding," he said unconvincingly. "I mean action figures were where it was at, right?" Joe laughed even harder, causing Barry's frown to increase. "Yeah…so…what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Eddie waved an arm and led the three into an empty room. Barry brought his cup of coffee up to his lips and took a long swig, feeling it immediately wake up his senses in a quick zap—thank god for increased metabolism—and waited as Joe closed the door behind the three men and dropped a file onto the empty desk. He leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We've finally got the go ahead to talk to Michael Bloom," Joe explained. "As we have said before, we're going to let him go afterwards as, for the moment, we don't have anything that we can pin against him other than potential kidnapping and even then, we don't particularly know what his role in the case is."

Barry looked back and forth between Joe and Eddie. He wasn't sure exactly why they were looking at him like that, but he suddenly felt like a bug under a microscope. He looked over at Eddie, who gaze back at him, almost looking through him. Barry wasn't really sure what to make of Eddie. His jealousy of his relationship with Iris aside, he wasn't a bad guy. He had a good sense of humor, from what Barry had seen at times, though he wasn't sure how _he_ felt about Barry's relationship with Iris. Things were always sort of awkward between the two of them. In fact, he was pretty sure that Eddie was purposefully making fun of him in sort of a way to establish his dominance. Not that he knew for sure, he had bullies picking on him for so long he didn't stop to question it much anymore.

"What…does that have to do with me?"

"We think that there's a better chance of you or your friend Cadence, to get a confession out of him," Joe continued. "There's hardly a chance he'll talk to the police about everything he's done, especially if he does have recent arrests. If we put a wire or a hidden microphone on one of you, we think we can nab him as well as those he may be working with."

Barry shrugged. "OK, yeah, it's no problem."

"But we need to find Cadence as well," Eddie broke in, eyes boring straight into Barry. Barry's eyebrows furrowed together as he looked back at Officer Pretty-Boy. He tried not to smirk, thinking of the name that had been given to the young Detective. Not only was he annoyed with the name, especially considering Iris was the one that had brought it up the first time while she was secretly dating him, but now Barry used it—mentally—in a way to subtly break down the guy. It was still frustrating to know there was really nothing the disliked about the guy when he was trying so hard to find it.

But he was a good detective, as it had been shown to him, time and time again.

"So if you could get her to meet up with us, that'd be great as well."

"No problem." Barry took a step back. "In fact, I'll go find her now, unless I have something else I need to do…?" He looked back and forth between Joe and Eddie, frowning when he noticed them exchange a glance. "What? What is it?"

"It's nothing, Barry, don't worry," Joe dismissed after a moment of silence. He scratched the back of his head. "Just…just go find your friend and please meet us at the hospital."

Barry's eyes narrowed yet he still turned on his heel and swiftly walked out of CCPD headquarters. There was something they weren't telling him and he couldn't exactly figure out what it was. Something that Eddie was in on. So it couldn't be his father that much was a relief. How much more could his father, Henry Allen, go through? He already lost his wife, lost his son, and lost the rest of his life to jail where he would rot. And what would happen if he did manage to get out? Who would believe that there was a man in yellow that had killed his mother as opposed to the man that had already been called out for it? He wouldn't be able to go back to work, he would constantly be known as the man that killed his wife, despite the possibility of being proven wrong.

And forever, Barry would be known as 'the son of the doctor that killed his wife' and he'd still be proud of it. He was proud to know that he was one of the few people standing up for his father and he would continue to do so, no matter what anyone had to say about it.

So if it didn't have to do with his father…what could it be?

Walking down the street a few feet, Barry steeled himself, ready to start using his abilities to get to Cadence, then stopped when it suddenly hit him. Literally. He stopped so quickly that he started and fell to the ground, arms out stretched in front of him. His bag swung around and struck him in the stomach, crushing against him and knocking the wind out of him as he fell. And while he laid on the pavement, trying to catch his breath, he understood what had happened.

Something happened to the woman that had been brought to the hospital after the domestic abuse at her house. Had something happened to the kid too? Barry climbed to his feet and started off down the street. He zoomed to the front of the hospital and walked inside, surprised to find Cadence conversing with a tall, blond haired man. The two appeared to be in some sort of argument, as the man was standing over her, almost menacingly leaning into her. Cadence had her hands pressed against her hips and was listening to him, though appeared just as incensed as he was, eyes narrowed into a glare. Finally, she said something that seemed to appease the guy for he smiled and backed away from her.

He walked towards the entrance of the hospital and noticed Barry. His blue eyes flickered over towards Barry's green ones and he looked him up and down before disappearing out the front doors. Cadence turned and watched him leave, her own eyes landing on Barry.

"Are you stalking me now?" She asked him. "Checking up on me? Making sure I don't send bolts of fiery electricity all over the place?" Now she crossed her arms over her chest as she walked over to him.

"I wanted to talk to you, actually." The words came out of Barry's mouth slowly as he looked over his shoulder. There was something off with that guy, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. There was just something about him…He turned back to Cadence, whose face had softened. "Was that guy…bothering you?"

"Lucas?" Her eyebrows rose. "No, we're always fighting about something. It's stupid." She waved a hand, dismissing him and the conversation. "Actually, I wanted to tell you something." She took a deep breath before breaking the news. "That woman that was brought in here…the one that had been beaten…she passed this morning."

Once again, Barry felt like the wind had been knocked out him.

"…There were some complications…she didn't come out of her coma and the doctors had to pull the plug." Cadence continued to watch Barry as he lowered his gaze to the floor. "As for the son…there's an Aunt in Ohio that he's going to be going to." She continued to watch him as his face then contorted to relief, though there was still pain that was evident as he ran a hand over his mouth. "You thinking about your Mom?"

Barry nodded silently. He couldn't imagine the way the boy was probably feeling. Barry was lucky to still have his father around; despite the fact he was in jail, he was lucky to have Joe and Iris to fall back on and to be able to keep the relatively normal life he had. But this boy had lost both of his parents; he was going to become uprooted and move to another state and have to start all over. He would be known as the kid whose parents died, he would be treated differently, maybe even as an outcast.

He clenched his hands into fists tight enough his nails made little crescents in his palms. How? Why? What did that little boy do to deserve the pain he was going to feel for the rest of his life? What had _he_ done for his mother to have been killed, for his father to have been sent to jail?

It wasn't fair.

"It…I just know how hard it's going to be for him," Barry finally managed to get out, doing his best to keep his composure. "But, I guess it's better than not knowing if she'll wake up." He cleared his throat and looked down at Cadence, suddenly realizing that she was much shorter than he. He took a step back to be able to look her directly in the eyes. "I was told to come look for you, Detective West and Detective Thawne are going to be speaking to Michael Bloom today, they want us to put on some wires to see if he'll confess something while we're in there, to find Brady."

Cheek twitching, Cadence looked away from him for a moment. "In my experience, he's very careful about whomever he's talking to, I think he'll see right through it."

"We have to try, otherwise he's going to be let go because he helped with the investigation. Other than potentially knowing where your brother is, he doesn't appear to have any priors, not any that can be found."

"You're a Forensic Scientist, how would you know that?" Cadence's voice was suddenly sharp, filled with irritation. Her eyes flashed as she looked back at him. "Is it really in your jurisdiction, that you'd be allowed that information?" The air around them suddenly increased in temperature.

"Not usually," Barry admitted. "But Detective West…Joe…he's like my father. He and my best friend Iris were the ones that took me in after what happened to my Mom happened." Cadence held her expressions or irritation for a moment longer before her face softened once more. But her eyes still held suspicion.

"What do I have to do?"

"Just talk to him."

Cadence nodded.

The two waited for Joe and Eddie to arrive—with Eddie blinking at Barry in surprise and noting that he had managed to get there pretty quickly, causing Barry to give a light nervous laugh—before they headed off towards the room that Michael Bloom was in. Once arriving, Joe and Eddie fitted Cadence and Barry with tiny microphones before the four walked into the room. Michael Bloom sat in his hospital bed, arms handcuffed to the railings, smirking at the four as they went inside.

Barry's eyes immediately moved to the burn that was on his shoulder; from the looks of it, the bandages and the seepage that spilled from underneath, it was a nasty burn that must've caused him great pain every time he moved. And as the burn-victim's eyes moved over to Cadence, there was a bit of fear that flashed through them, despite the arrogant mask still holding true on the man's face.

"Michael Bloom," Joe said sternly. "We made an agreement. If you talk…we'll let you go."

"How do I know that you'll keep up your end of the deal?" Michael asked, eyes trained on Cadence. "How do I know that you're not just going to arrest me as soon as I'm discharged from this place."

"Well, we can't arrest you if you don't have any priors," Eddie pointed out. "And sure, you may have the information on the whereabouts of the kid, but that doesn't mean that you were actually involved right?" His voice dripped with sarcasm as he stood by the head of Michael's bed.

Michael glared at the Detectives before looking over at Cadence. "I'll talk to her."

"You don't have that choice," Eddie broke in. "We had a deal."

"And if you don't take this new deal, I won't talk at all," Michael reminded him. Barry exchanged a glance with Joe and immediately recognized the helplessness in the man's eyes. That was what they wanted; Michael was easily falling into their plan. Joe glanced over at Eddie and the two nodded before starting to leave the room. "I said, just the girl!"

"Unless you want police in here, ready to take out your ass, you'll have Barry stay," Joe broke in, motioning to the speedy metahuman. "I don't doubt you'd be willing to do anything to get out of here and I don't intend on putting someone innocent in danger. Unless that's what you want? To be behind bars for the rest of your life."

Michael scowled but didn't say anything more.

Barry watched as Joe and Eddie left the room, and then looked over at Cadence, who reached down into the corner of her scrubs and pulled off the microphone that had been attached to her sleeve. She crushed it in her fist, a light crackling sound emitting from the trinket as she did so. Then, tossing the tiny pieces to the floor, she walked over to Michael and pressed her hand down on his burn.

Barry winced at the scream that had come out of Michael's mouth, and then noticed the seepage that continued to run from the bandage. Moving over to the other side of the bed, Barry looked into Cadence's face and saw there was nothing there; her face was completely blank eyes dull.

When she spoke, she spoke in a low voice.

"Now, you and I both know that I could make this a lot worse or heal it within a matter of minutes," she murmured. Barry scratched at his neck, being careful to cover the microphone that was attached to his own shirt, knowing that Eddie and Joe were listening to every word they said. "So you have the option to be under the worst agonizing pain you've ever felt, or you can walk out of here a free man, with your shoulder healed."

"Cadence," Barry said. She looked over at him and she pulled her hand back, crossing her arms. He looked over at Michael and stared hard at him, the man looked back and then his eyes widened, and he knew the man had recognized him. "Yeah, I was there that night, too. You'd be dead if it weren't for me." He pointed over towards Cadence. "She would've killed you…because you took her brother from her."

"Is that what she told you?" Michael asked, snorting.

Barry ignored the question, leaning closer towards his face. He removed his hand from the microphone. There was no chance of Eddie and Joe hearing them talk about their powers, now. "Think about this…you took a child from its mother and father."

"I didn't take the kid!" Michael snapped. "That wasn't my job."

"So what was it?" Cadence demanded. "To follow me around for days, figure out my schedule, wait to see what was the best way for you to get him to get to me?" She shook he head. "I know you're working for someone else, I know this may have nothing to do with you, but you're still in it."

"And if you want to stay safe," Barry agreed. "Then you're going to cooperate. Just tell us where he is and we'll let you go. The police have nothing to charge you on." He crossed his arms. "But if you don't…then there's going to be some consequences."

"Listen, zippy—"

Barry moved as quick as lightning, grabbing the front of Michael's hospital gown. He curled his fist around the fabric and pulled him up into a sitting position until his face was directly in the older man's. Michael winced and whimpered, pain traveling from his arm through the rest of his body as quickly as Barry could move. The Flash's eyes bored into Michael's and the man glanced over at Cadence, who continued to listen quietly, then nodded.

A few seconds passed and Barry let go of Michael's hospital gown allowing him to slowly and carefully lean back into his pillows. He sucked in a couple of deep breaths, waiting for the pain to subside.

"Okay… okay…" Michael hissed. "He's…being held in the rundown apartment building…at the outskirts of the city."

"That building is notorious for drug dealers and crack heads," Barry said.

"We thought no one would look there," Michael continued. "Especially not the police, not for that reason. There was going to be a ransom, however things have fallen apart once people started to back out, once they realized what could happen…" his eyes shifted to the burn on his shoulder. "I don't know who planned the whole thing; I don't know anything other than my part, to lure you to Central City."

Barry glanced at Cadence, who hadn't reacted otherwise. _She said she wanted to meet me,_ he thought, checking it off as another thing that was a bit off about her. _Then again, if it were me I don't know how much I'd like to tell someone I just met._

"That's all I know, I _swear!_ " Michael continued.

Barry looked deep into Michael's eyes. He prided himself on being someone that could really read people and in this case, the guy was telling the truth, it was all he knew. He nodded and motioned for Cadence to leave the room. She grabbed onto his arm, stopping him in the doorway.

Turning, Barry watched as Cadence's eyes welled up with grateful tears.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

* * *

 

Quietly, carefully, Cadence reached out and opened the door to her darkened apartment. She nudged it open with her foot and cradled Brady against her body as she slipped through the door, and closed and locked it behind her. She walked to the bedroom, shadows elongated by the darkness of night followed her, and gently laid him down on the bed, pulling back the covers and placing him inside.

As his head hit the pillow, Brady stirred and looked up at Cadence. "Mommy?" He asked.

Cadence smiled and ran her hand down his cheek. "Yeah, sweetie?"

"Where'd you go? I was looking for you," he said sleepily. "Those guys said you weren't coming back for me."

"Don't worry about them, they're not going to hurt you again, I promise." Cadence pulled up the blankets of the bed so that they completely covered him. He snuggled into the pillow, letting out a soft sigh. "Do you want me to sleep here tonight?"

Brady nodded and Cadence crawled into the bed beside her son, gently stroking his hair until he fell asleep.

She stayed up, watching, hoping he wouldn't be taken away again.

She wouldn't let him.


	8. Hidden Intentions

**.:8:.**

_Hidden Intentions  
_

* * *

 

Harrison sat in his wheelchair, an almost giddy smile—for him—on his face as he watched Barry and Cadence run on their treadmills. Barry moving so quickly that the air around him crackled with electricity, arms and legs flying as he used his enhanced speed to race on the belt made of rubber, plastic, and metals.

On another treadmill Cadence was running at a considerably slower pace, not able to get up to Barry's top speed of around 700 mph, though her powers of heat got her close. As she ran, little sparks of fire seemed to fly off her body. It had taken Cisco a few tries before he had come up with a treadmill belt that didn't melt under her feet due to the rise in her body temperature with little cooling effect from her sweat.

And as he continued to watch, Harrison's smile slowly faded. There were still ramifications they hadn't been thought of when it came to dealing with these two metahumans. Barry wasn't moving towards his full potential, not yet. He was still able to go faster, push himself harder, and while he had been doing so well as of late, there were still some things he hadn't seemed to understand were so important. He always seemed to find things as…some sort of a game, trying to see how many crimes he could stop in the span of a day.

Cadence on the other hand, was even more of a frustration for him and their research on their abilities. There were so many things that were keeping her from getting to her top abilities, like Barry, though on a grander scale. Her body temperature couldn't get too high or else there would be irreversible brain damage, much like that of having a very high fever. There was always a point where she would stop herself, afraid of going the extra mile and breaking through the barrier of her powers but would then come to a grinding halt and start all over.

And all of it infuriated Harrison. How was he to be sure that things worked he way they wanted him to, they way they were _supposed_ to when there were so many things getting in the way. Barry's mind still wasn't completely operable at top speeds, and while they had recently found him able to speak a mile a minute—probably even faster than that—Harrison wasn't one hundred percent satisfied with their progress.

But now, watching as they progressed in their main abilities, speed and power, he couldn't help but smile. Everything was slowly going the way he wanted, no _needed_ them to and the thought alone gave him the rare chance to smile.

Caitlin glanced over at Cisco and Harrison, a small smile on her face as well. Cisco was beaming as he watched the two metahuman race on the treadmills, every now and squealing like a little girl and bouncing on his toes. Then again, he found monster truck rallies and everything supernatural—ghosts included—to be 'cool' when they gave her a headache and scared her half to death. But then looking over at Harrison she was surprised to find that he was smiling.

Not that he didn't smile a lot, she reminded herself. But it never came up a lot, usually only for special occasions, or watching in amusement as she and Cisco got into some sort of little argument or wager in over their particular fields. Otherwise the only other times she had seen him smile a lot was before the explosion. _Then again, Caitlin, you used to smile a lot then, too._ And once again her mind was incased with thoughts and images of her and Ronnie. They had been together for a short amount of time, but had fallen in love so quickly.

He had warmed her heart, when she hadn't thought it would be possible. Growing up, she had been interested in boys, had gone to dances, and hung out with her friends as they giggled and blushed over them, but she still felt socially awkward around hem at times. She hadn't thought she was ugly by any means, but what guy wanted to go out with a girl that could explain each and every element on the Periodic Table of Elements without a second of thought? Who wanted to go out with a girl that would rather experiment with different chemicals and how it affected life sciences than go to the mall and the movies?

But Ronnie had been different; he made her laugh, had her open up more, taught her how to live life to the fullest and she had fallen for his charm. For once she didn't feel like the odd one out, he had been just as smart as she was and was still very—by her admission—attractive. Their romance had been a whirlwind, a heated affair everyone had been able to see since the day they met each other and while they tried to keep it a secret and toned down at work, soon he had proposed to her and everyone around had been happy. Especially Cisco, he was one of her best friends, like her little brother and had become best friends with Ronnie. He was to be the best man at their wedding and had even helped Caitlin come up with different themes for the wedding.

None of which she used but it was a fun night; drinking at the bar, being able to show off her ring to anyone that came by, listening to Cisco's idea to make their wedding cake half red and half blue to represent their favorite colors, and enjoying the warmth that Ronnie's body radiated as she leaned into him ever the woman in love.

And now here she was in S.T.A.R. Labs with a career that would probably never happen and…having friends. She never expected that to come out of the particle accelerator explosion that had hurt so many people and ripped so many lives apart. But she had started to grow more while working with Barry and the others and, honestly, wouldn't trade it for anything.

She glanced over the vitals of the metahumans on the screen in front of her and frowned, noticing that Cadence's vitals were starting to return to a lower number. Glancing up, she noticed the fire metahuman had pressed the stop button on her treadmill and was slowing to a stop, hands on her hips.

"Miss. Nash, may I ask why you're stopping your training?" Harrison asked, wheeling himself backwards, to meet Cadence at the door of the room that held the treadmills, separated by a glass window. "We haven't been able to get a good grasp of the extent of your abilities."

Barry slowed on his treadmill and followed after her, watching quietly.

"Trust me, that's the extent of it," she remarked, gently wiping sweat off her forehead. "Anything more than that and I'm sure I'd black out in a matter of seconds." She shrugged. "It's happened before."

Something flashed across Harrison's face and he pressed his lips together before regarding her with a cold stare. "Be that as it may, we won't be able to get you to break through that barrier if you continue to keep yourself at a plateau." He lowered his voice, almost to a menacing one that the others immediately recognized. "I'll ask you, Miss. Nash, to please not test my patience. Not only are you using my time to help you progress your abilities to a level that you can take care of yourself, but you're also using my resources."

The fire metahuman's eyebrow rose. "I've been dealing with this since I was eight, I can—"

"That's all I have to say about it," Harrison interrupted, his voice now dark and gravely. Cisco, who had been watching quietly, winced at the tone of his voice. It was the same tone the man had used when he found out about the cold gun that Cisco had created before knowing Barry was a nice guy. The tone was dark, filled with tension and unmistakable anger.

Cadence lowered her gaze to the floor, realizing that she had taken her argument a step too far. Harrison kept his eyes on her as he wheeled back his chair before turning it around and leaving the floor so that he could go to his office.

Barry made a low whistling sound under his breath. "Even I don't make the mistake of getting him angry like that," he said. "It's like…getting sent down to the principal's office."

"Sorry, Barry, but something tells me that you were _never_ sent to the principal's office," Cadence said, sending him a look.

He thought for a moment. "You're right," he agreed. "I never went when it was something that was actually my fault." Patting her on the shoulder he addressed Caitlin and Cisco. "Is something bothering him? He seemed really annoyed."

Caitlin waved a hand. "He's just very invested in his work," she defended him. "He's always been like that and after everything with the particle accelerator…well, he's trying hard to get his reputation back and I guess this work is a release for him or something." She crossed her arms. "But he does have a bit of a point. We can't get a good handle on what you can do if you don't allow yourself to get pushed further and further."

"I'm sorry, weren't you the one that had warned _him,"_ —Cadence gestured to Barry—"that he could defeat me because of my whole body temperature thing?"

Cisco turned to Caitlin and leaned in towards her. "She's got a point," he whispered to her.

Caitlin glared at him and Cisco shrugged, turning away. Her face softened as she turned back to Cadence. "You do have to be careful," she agreed. "But pushing that threshold back further and further will ultimately be beneficial to you."

"Yeah, and maybe one day you'll actually be able to control your powers enough, to, like, burst into flames or something," Cisco said. His eyes lit up at the thought. "Then you'll really live up to the name Flash Fire."

Cadence's right eyebrow hiked upwards as he eyes flashed dangerously. "Seriously, Cisco, if you insist on calling me that, I'm going to have to call you guys the Super Stars or something, because that's getting ridiculous."

Cisco appeared not to notice her sudden shift into an angry tone, or that the air around them had increased in temperature in favor of the nickname he had just been handed. "Super Stars?! I like that! Then we'll have cool code names too." Caitlin rolled her eyes, shaking her head as Cisco became completely enamored with the idea. "Then I can be Star Shooter or something." He reached over and picked up his cup of coffee. "And we need to come up with a name for you Caitlin…what about Imperial Ice?"

Caitlin, Cadence, and Barry all exchanged confused glances.

"Why Imperial Ice?" Barry asked, scratching the side of his head. "I would've thought of…Ice Star or something." Now Caitlin glared at Barry and he zipped to the other side of the room, far away from Caitlin's potential wrath. "Just saying."

"Oh come on, it sounds cool and you know it." Cisco brought his coffee up to his mouth and took a long sip. He made a face, forcing himself to swallow it, before holding it an arm's length away from him. "God, this stuff tastes disgusting when it's cold."

"You don't know what you're missing with iced coffee," Caitlin sing-songed. "It's the only thing that gets me through the day."

"Here." Cadence reached out and took the cup from him. She removed the lid and blew across the top, before handing the steaming cup back to him. Cisco watched the steam rise from the top of the cup and grinned, practically bouncing on his toes once more. Barry zipped back to his side, causing Cisco's hair to blow out of his face and looked at the cup as well.

"Dragon Breath." Barry grinned as he nodded.

"So. Cool." Cisco agreed.

Cadence turned towards Caitlin with an odd expression on her face. "And you have to deal with this every day?"

Caitlin closed her eyes in a pained expression, nodding. "Every day, unfortunately," she concurred. Brushing her wavy brown tresses from her face, actively ignoring the "hey's" of protest from Barry and Cisco, Caitlin picked up a stack of folders that had been resting by her arm and organized them before cradling them against her chest. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go over some of these findings with Dr. Wells. I may have found something in your guys' abilities that can really help us." She turned on her heel and started towards Harrison's office.

Her heels clacked against the ground as she went and when she arrived at Harrison's office, she was surprised to find his office door was already open. Not forgetting her manners, she reached out and knocked on the door, leaning in to find Harrison at his desk, forehead resting in the palm of his hand.

"Dr. Wells?" She gently called.

Harrison looked up, moving to close the folder he had been looking over. Caitlin glanced at it as she moved closer to his desk but he skillfully hid what was written on the cover as he opened the drawer at the top left of his desk. "Yes, Miss. Snow?"

"I have some of the results of the tests that we ran on Barry and Cadence," Caitlin said. She crossed the room and carefully lowered herself into the seat, placing the files and folders on the desk. "Their vitals are at the levels we'd like them to be, and Barry is getting faster and faster by the day. Though, in line with your concerns, Cadence seems to have hit a brick wall."

"That's where my worries lie," Harrison said. He placed his fingertips together, icy blue eyes boring into Caitlin's brown ones. "Progress isn't going to be made if she continues to stay at the area she is currently at. I believe there is something physically stopping her from getting to the point where she can exhibit her powers further."

Caitlin nodded, crossing her legs. Harrison's eyes darted downwards before coming up towards her face once more. "It's probably that she's trying to get through the thought that she has to keep it a secret," She reasoned. "Not only has she had these powers since she was a kid, but she continued to go to school and stay as normal as possible, having to hide the abilities for so long, knowing what can happen if they were taken too far."

Harrison nodded then changed the subject. "What about Barry, then?"

Caitlin took a deep breath as she thought about it. She recognized this pattern. Rather than him giving her all of the answers, he wanted her to work them out for her own. It was what the two had done when he was still her mentor, after first signing on to working with him. She had been the first person he recruited for the work on the particle accelerator, if she remembered correctly and they had continued to work closely together as time had gone on.

"I think…Barry is really excited about what he can do," she said slowly, working it out as she thought. "He's very passionate about helping people, why else would he and Cisco have started to do it when we had no ideas about what they could do or who'd be after him."

"And what about you?"

The sudden one-eighty turn caused Caitlin to blink in surprise. "Me?"

 _What about me?_ Caitlin studied Harrison, forcing herself to look away from his eyes as they continued to train on her. His gaze had always been so piercing, almost as if they were looking right through her. Did he mean about her thought of Ronnie? Did he know how much she thought about him or how worried she was for Barry because of the danger he constantly put himself into? What about her?

The frosty woman shrugged. "What about me?" She asked.

"How are you holding up through this whole thing?" Harrison tilted his head towards the door to his office. "Cisco takes it all in stride and it's his excitement for things like this that drew me to him, I see good things coming from him. But I haven't really gotten a good grasp of what you're thinking about it." He straightened the incline of his head. "That is, unless it's hard for you to still be here."

"I'd…rather not speak about Ronnie if that's alright."

"I wasn't speaking about Ronnie."

Caitlin lowered her gaze, crossing her legs the other way. She chewed her lower lip for a long minute. His confidence had always been something she admired about him, and the attention he paid to her, but now it threw her off a little.

Harrison licked his pink lips and leaned forward, resting his arms on the desktop. "You had such an amazing future ahead of you, Caitlin, I know that. And I know that you constantly wonder what would've happened if you hadn't decided to take my offer to work at S.T.A.R. Labs if not having gotten out of the work before the accelerator went online. In fact, I distinctly remember trying to tell you…and Ronnie,"—he took a deep breath—"to go off o your vacation sooner."

"I couldn't begin to imagine missing the start of the accelerator."

"Even if it meant not having your future taken away from you?"

"Even then." Caitlin now looked him in the eyes. She mimicked Harrison, licking her lips and taking a deep breath. "I wouldn't trade any of this either. What we're doing…what you're doing…it'll take a while for people to understand but this is all ground breaking and you shouldn't allow yourself to listen to what everyone else hast o say."

"Well, under the circumstances I think I can understand that some people aren't particularly happy when they hear my name," Harrison said. He ran a hand through his hair before leaning back in his wheelchair, resting his hands on his stomach. "But I thank you for your vote of confidence, Miss. Snow. It helps me know that what I'm doing is all worthwhile."

Caitlin smiled and nodded back at him.

She continued to sit in the chair, her gaze on him lingering a bit longer before she blinked and gazed at the files once more. "So there's everything that came from their tests if there's anything else that you need, feel free to call me."

"I'll make sure of that." There was a light lift to his tone that wasn't always heard when they were working and it caused Caitlin to smile a little wider.

Caitlin got up from her seat and left the room. She was almost back to the testing floor when the scent of acrid smoke hit her nose and she practically sprinted the rest of the way. Coming around the corner, she skidded to a stop and watched as smoke poured out of the top of the cup that had been Cisco's coffee, Barry stood beside it, rapidly fanning it with the quick movements of his hands, and Cadence was sitting on Cisco's shoulders, reaching up towards the sprinklers at the ceiling and waving a towel to keep them from going off.

The three appeared as if they had been caught in the cookie jar when the spotted Caitlin.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Nothing," the three replied in unison.

Caitlin placed her hands on her hips as she watched the three, trying to keep the stern expression on her face though all she wanted to do was burst out laughing.

No, she certainly wouldn't trade any of it for anything else.

* * *

 

"So, Cadence, don't you have to get to work soon?" Barry asked as he pulled open the door to Jitters, allowing the fire metahuman to go into the coffee shop before he followed after her. Sliding his hands into the pockets of his jacket he fell into step beside her, looking for a table to sit at. "I didn't think you could miss any days while in residency."

Cadence grimaced before she replaced the expression with a calm one. "Actually…I, uh, I stopped," she admitted. Barry glanced at her, a smile frozen on his face, eyebrows lowering in confusion. "I talked to my program director this morning and opted to take some time off from it…with Brady back and with the long shifts that are unpredictable, I can't keep working there."

She tucked her hair behind her ear before looking around and finding a table to sit at. She quickly strode over to it, sure to avoid Barry's gaze, knowing he'd continue to push the topic if she did so.

And she had decided to leave residency, though it wasn't completely on her own terms. The morning after she had gotten Brady back, she was awoken by a knock on the door to her apartment. Looking down at Brady, glad to see that he was still sleeping soundly; she quietly slid out of bed and hurried over towards the front door. She had barely gotten into the foyer before a gust of wind blew the door open and Lucas strolled inside.

Cadence stopped on a dime and turned her gaze to the ceiling before looking back at him once more. "You seriously have to stop doing that," she said to him. "I don't go barging into your place."

"Be that as it may, I'm not the one that constantly needs to be watched," Lucas pointed out to her. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a wad of money. "Good job on your last hit, Breathtaker was proud." His blue eyes flashed. "Though it did take a bit for the woman to fucking croak to get the job done."

Cadence frowned then said sarcastically, "Next time I'll just make it look like she spontaneously combusted. Would that be better?" She held out her hand and Lucas stuffed the wad of bills into her palm.

Looking it over, she let out a deep breath, moving her lower jaw to the side. The image of the woman's face, turning white and filling with fear the longer she held onto her neck, watching the life move out of her eyes. She had then increased the temperature of her hands, burning the woman's neck so that her fingerprints wouldn't be left behind.

All so she would get the money that would keep herself and Brady afloat. Then when she had the chance, she'd get out of the Assassination Bureau and would be able to get away so the two of them would be able to live a relatively normal life; though going back to Metropolis was out of the question.

Cadence's eyes narrowed as she looked through the bills that were in her hand. "This is more than I was contracted to get," she said to him.

"I know," Lucas concurred. Now he placed his hands on his hips. "Part of that comes from my cut. Something extra for you and Brady."

Now Cadence let out a low chuckle before she regarded him with a glare. "You're not his father, Lucas, excuse me, Stratos. So stop acting like it." The last word was barely out of her mouth before Luca shot out his hand and grabbed her around her throat and squeezed tightly.

He brought his face close to hers, blue eyes flashing. "Don't forget that what happened to you son before…can easily happen again. Don't test me." He brought up his other hand and Cadence's eyes squeezed shut, tears streaming down her cheeks, as a strong wind blew through the apartment. "Unless you want to end up dead on the floor with the air taken from your lungs."

Cadence brought up her free hand and grabbed onto his wrist. "Or I can burn your lungs," she replied, voice hoarse as he continued to hold onto her. "That's your choice."

Staring at her a few seconds more, Lucas smirked before dropping his hand. Cadence coughed, bringing her hands up to her neck. It throbbed with pain and she was sure it was going to bruise within a matter of minutes.

He shook his blond hair from his face. "We should be getting our next assignment soon, make sure you don't have anything get in the way of it. Breathtaker was happy with your work, but he's not happy with the way you're constantly pushing it off for other responsibilities." He took another step towards her. "He wanted me to remind you…of the risks you're taking when you're not at our beck and call like you agreed to when you first joined us."

Cadence nodded. She _had_ willingly agreed to help them out when they had first approached her. She had willingly agreed to everything they told her about their work and she had continued with it as the years went on; and despite the many times she had proven she was working with the Assassination Bureau and had done a great job on each of them, they still questioned her.

"Has there by any word back from the Suicide Squad?"

"Not at the moment but when we hear from that or about our next assignment, Breathtaker will have us all meet up again." Lucas had left shortly after that and Cadence had gotten on her cell phone to set up a meeting with her program director to tell him that she would be taking some time off from her residency. Lucas had been right; there were too many risks she had been taking while waiting for her next assignment for the Assassination Bureau.

Keeping an eye on Barry was a lot easier than she had anticipated; now all she had to do was wait for her next instruction.

But sitting across from Barry in Jitters, seeing the concerned expression on his face as she told him she had left the residency made her frown a little. She didn't think he would be so naïve, so friendly with everyone around him. Nevertheless it made her job that much easier.

 _And he won't see it coming,_ Cadence thought.

"So why doesn't he just go back to stay with our parents?" Brady pressed.

Gritting her teeth, Cadence sucked a deep breath into her mouth. "That's a whole other, long story that I don't want to get into." She waved her hand before reaching over and picking up a menu. "Trust me, it's boring."

Shrugging, Barry picked up his own menu and looked it over for a moment before his eyes shifted behind her. He smiled and waved. There was the sound of footsteps, angry footsteps behind Cadence and she looked up as an African-American woman appeared at the side of the table, holding onto a pad and a pen.

"Don't you smile at me, Barry Allen," she said. "I'm still mad at you."

Barry held his hands up defensively. "For what? I'm just sitting here."

Iris placed her hands on her hips and looked pointedly at her best friend. "For the last argument we had, I know there's something you're not telling me but you haven't even had the decency to pick up a phone and call. Me." She whacked him on the arm with her pad of paper. "Some best friend you are."

"Ow! Ow! OK, Iris, stop!" Barry tried to defend himself. "We're in public."

Cadence laughed as she watched Barry lean back out of the way as the waitress continued to hit Barry with the book. _It must suck not being able to use your powers to get away,_ she thought. Barry must've had the same thought for he grimaced underneath his smile, doing his best to use his hands to block her.

Now Iris laughed as she gave him one last swat on the arm. "I don't care." She giggled, pushing her hair behind her ears. She turned to Cadence, eyes lighting up as she did so. "Though if this is the reason why you've been avoiding me, that's fine. Hi, I'm Iris West."

Cadence smirked, reaching out and taking Iris's hand, giving it a firm shake. "Hi, Iris, I'm Cadence Nash."

Iris continued to smile at the fire metahuman. "So how did you meet Barry? I wouldn't expect it to be on a crime scene."

 _Wanna bet?_ Cadence tried to hide her smile as she exchanged a glance with Barry. "Uh, no, actually we met at my aerobics class." She slowly started to smile, showing her teeth, as Barry narrowed his eyes at her.

"Aerobics?" Iris and Barry repeated with varying degrees of interest.

"Yeah, I had been in residency at Central City hospital," Cadence explained, keeping her eyes on Barry. He looked mildly annoyed. "But I realized it wasn't something I wanted so I started to teach aerobics classes at the local gym. You know…like Zumba and stuff. Barry here,"—she motioned towards him—"was in one of my classes. He's really good at Zumba, actually, one of the best in the class."

"Really?" Iris snapped her fingers. "So _that's_ what you're not telling me! You're taking Zumba classes. _That's_ why you started to get…muscular and everything." She paused and then hit Barry once more, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Was that really necessary?" He demanded, looking like a wounded puppy.

"I _love_ Zumba," Iris declared. She clasped her hands together. " _And_ Yoga and I'm always trying to get someone to go with me." She pouted. "Eddie doesn't like it; he says that it makes him feel like he's questioning his masculinity whenever he gets into it."

"Eddie?" Cadence repeated, she noticed the light roll of Barry's eyes when the name was mentioned.

Iris tilted he head to the side, her dark tresses falling out of her face as a sweet, serene expression filled her face. "Eddie's my boyfriend," she explained. "Actually, he's my Dad's partner. Things were kind of awkward for a while, but they're better now."

"Oh!" The fire metahuman's dark eyes lit up. "Detective Pretty Boy!" Barry burst out laughing as Iris reached out to hit him once more. This time he used a bit of his enhanced speed to lean out of the way, though she didn't notice. "Yeah, I met him once, there was a suspect they were looking into that was at the hospital. I met them then." She brushed her hair from her face, not concerned with the pointed look Barry was sending her way.

She sent a look back that said 'What? It's not like I'm spilling my guts here'.

"But hey, he's handsome, you get that," Iris said. A new look entered her eyes and she chewed her lower lip, gently twisting back and forth. "Actually, we have tickets to go to the theater this weekend, maybe you two would like to come as a double date?"

"A double date?" Barry repeated. He started to wave his hands before pointing back and forth between himself and Cadence. "No. No, no. This…uh, this isn't anything like that. I mean, I don't think of her that way, we're just friends, barely know each other really."

"Besides, he's not my type," Cadence interrupted. "I have a thing for blonds." She glanced at the menu and looked it over for a moment. "Could I get a hot chocolate please?" She pushed the menu aside as Iris whipped up her pen and scribbled down the order.

"Of course, and Barry I'll get your usual."

Barry didn't speak again until Iris was out of ear shot. He turned to Cadence with what was his version of a stink-eye. "Zumba? Really?"

"It was the best I could come up with on short notice. And besides, it looked like you needed some sort of an alibi or something since you can't tell her what's going on with your powers and everything." Cadence pressed her fingertips together. "It might be better if you do, though. My parents had no choice but to know, but when I told Brady, he took everything in stride." She sorted. "As a matter of fact, in his eyes I'm a lot cooler. But what eight year old doesn't like anything superhero related."

"Is that ever weird?" Barry asked. "That there's such a big age difference between you guys? You're…twenty-four right?"

Cadence nodded. "It's not so bad," she said. "Sometimes its stressful, otherwise it's fine." She sat up straight when Iris returned to the table with their drinks and Barry's blueberry muffin. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Iris replied. "Enjoy you guys. And it was nice meeting you Cadence."

"It was nice meeting you, too, Iris. I hope to see you in one of my Zumba classes."

"I'll definitely be there." Iris beamed and reached out, placing her hand on Barry's shoulder. "And so will, Barry." Barry smiled in agreement, waiting for her to leave once more before turning back to Cadence.

"I hate you." The bluntness of his words caused Cadence to burst out into loud laughter. She further warmed her hot chocolate between he hands before taking a long sip of the drink that would scald a normal person. "I can't dance! Why'd you have to go tell her that? Now it's going to be so embarrassing." He ran his hands over his face.

"That's alright, Barry…you'll learn fast."

She laughed again as Barry dropped his forehead to the table.

* * *

 

Harrison finished looking over the files that Caitlin had given him and pushed them aside. He opened the drawer that held the file folder he hid away and placed it on his desk. Opening it, he pushed aside the newspaper articles until he came across a family photo of Cadence when she was about nine years old, nestled in the arms of her mother and father, all smiling widely at the camera.

He studied it for a long time, taking in everything of the photo. The location; his deduction it being at some sort of a festival or parade judging by the crowd wearing red and yellow in the background, the time of day; mid-day judging by the source of the sunlight, the images in the photo; how happy the three family members looked.

Harrison brought a hand up to his mouth, covering it. Taking off his glasses, he ran his hand over his face, shoulders slumping. He lashed out; smacking his fist on top of the photo then grabbed it in his hands, crumpling it up before tearing the photo into tiny pieces that fluttered to the floor like confetti when he savagely swept them away from him.

He rested his elbows on the desk, hands clenched into fists, glaring at the space in front of him.


	9. Midnight Meetings

**.:9:.**

_Midnight Meetings_

* * *

 

"So, Cadence, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

Cadence's right eyebrow hiked upwards, giving her a clearer view of the thermometer in her mouth, as she turned her head towards Caitlin. The young woman was bent over a monitor, checking the metahuman's blood pressure as she asked the question.

With her free hand, Cadence reached up and took the thermometer out of her mouth. "Are you asking me that for your health or do you really want to know?"

Caitlin's lips curled up into a small smile, not one that was really there or reached her eyes nor did Cadence think it ever would. Not for a while, anyway. It hadn't even been a year since her fiancé was killed in the place she continued to work. It was surprising that the girl hadn't had a complete mental breakdown by that point. Especially what with her worries over the speedy metahuman she had seen so far. Almost like a mother, which was a girl's natural instinct almost since birth, however Cadence was attune to know there was something else there.

"A bit of both," the bioengineering expert replied honestly. She smiled, turning back to the fire metahuman, completely taking her eyes off of the blood pressure gauge that continued to spike. "Like I had said before…I could use some more estrogen around here. Not that the guys are terrible or something, but there's only so long I can take listening to them giggle like school girls over superheroes, Lady Gaga, and whatever 'toys' Cisco can invent or get his hands on."

Cadence gave her a funny look that was a mixture between amusement and horror. She leaned back on the examining table and used a hand to swipe her hair from her face. "We're sure they're completely straight, right?"

Caitlin laughed. "Yeah, that's what they keep saying," she replied. "Though, like you, I've had my moments of doubts."

Nodding, Cadence smiled. She was silent for a moment, leaning back and resting her hands on the examining table. She lightly kicked her legs back and forth. "I was born and raised in Metropolis, I'm Twenty-Four, I'm a Sagittarius, my favorite color is red, and I can shoot fire out of my hands like some sort of a flamethrower or instant lighter." She leaned forward, giving a bright smile. "Is that all or do you need to fill out my dating profile some more?"

Now Caitlin laughed as she reached out and ripped the blood pressure cuff off the fire metahuman's arm. "What would you like me to add? That your blood pressure is usually normal, but you have an abnormal skin and body temperature as well as become lethargic in increasing exposures of sunlight?"

Cadence stretched her arms over her head, a sleepy smile coming to her face as she remembered the nap she had managed to get while Caitlin had tested her reaction to increasing levels of heat. She had opened a skylight and instructed Cadence to stand under it for a few moments. It hadn't taken long for Cadence to slowly become drowsy before falling asleep. Despite the fact that Cadence could withstand heat of up to about 3000 degrees if not more—they had tested that too—it appeared that the young woman had a means to get a nap every time she wanted to go to the beach.

"Yeah, that'd be a real selling point."

"Any other interesting tidbits about you?" Caitlin joked.

"I participate in parkour," Cadence explained. "Not only is it good exercise and really fun to do, but it's translated into my fighting style as well...which I think Barry has figured out." She grimaced at the thought of her fight against the quick metahuman, he really hadn't known what hit him. Parkour, or free running as others called it, really had given her the advantage of the space around her during that fight. _Plus, he hadn't had his powers for long._

"Interesting."

Once all of the wires, electrodes, and cuffs were taken off of Cadence, Caitlin turned back to her notes and looked them over. She frowned for a moment before putting down her clipboard and addressing the fire metahuman once more.

"So we're going out for some drinks if you want to come," she offered.

Cadence froze for a moment, halting her movements as she put her shoes back on. _I can't leave Brady that long,_ she thought. Not only that, but if Lucas…Stratos…whatever he had wanted to go by now, was telling the truth when he said he was constantly watching her to be sure she wouldn't do something to threaten what he, Breathtaker, and the others were doing, she didn't want to run the risk of him being there that night and having things revealed she couldn't risk being known.

"I don't know," she hesitated. "Getting drunk off my face enough to stumble home or have a cab drop me off on my front porch with a hangover so wicked it'll probably have me set my house on fire?" She shook her head. "Doesn't really sound like good times to me."

"So don't drink enough to get drunk and you'll be fine."

"I don't have anyone to watch Brady for that long."

"He's eight years old; I think he can be home by himself for a little while."

Cadence regarded Caitlin carefully, noting the almost pleading tone in her voice. "Oh, I get it." She crossed her arms, smirking at the geneticist. "You just don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of drunken guys hitting on you…not getting the point of your chilly expression to leave you alone, right?"

Slightly sticking her nose in the air, Caitlin crossed her arms. "It's not that bad," she defended herself. "But it's like we were saying here, I could due to have some discussing with some girls. I think Iris and Eddie are going, too. I don't know. Usually it's just me and Cisco, but now Barry comes along and Iris had wanted to meet up with us, I guess."

Cadence scratched the back of her head. "You've met Iris?" She asked. "What'd you think?"

Chewing her lower lip, Caitlin was silent for a long minute. "Actually, we met when Barry was in his coma. Cisco, Dr. Wells, and I had brought him from the hospital and over to S.T.A.R. Labs, having noticed that they didn't have the sort of technology to revive him. Not when they couldn't understand the particle accelerator in the first place."

"It must be hard to be back here, since Ronnie died," Cadence remarked. "Though it does prove to justify the means of why you treat Barry like your son sometimes. Trust me; I know a _lot_ of experience in that area." She wasn't sure Caitlin would've responded, but waited patiently.

"It gets easier," Caitlin finally said quietly. "I just take it day by day." She cleared her throat and crossed her arms. "So are you coming out with us tonight? We'd really like you there?"

Cadence sighed through her nose, thinking about it for a long moment. _If Stratos really is going to watch me, I'd rather it be where Brady isn't involved, _she thought. Her eyes narrowed for a moment. _And it'd give me a chance to figure out some more about these guys here._ Finally, she lifted her head and smiled at Caitlin. "Sure," she finally said. "I'd like that."

"All right. Let me just get these findings to Dr. Wells and then we can head over there. I'm sure Barry and Cisco have already gotten head start. Considering how much Barry likes Iris and with Eddie being there…"

"Oh, you picked up on that too?" Cadence hadn't wanted to bring it up when she had met Iris. Barry really did wear his heart on his sleeve and as much as he probably wanted to think that no one else knew of his crush on her, it had almost hit the metahuman in the face when the African-American woman had walked over to take their order at Jitters.

"Kind of hard to miss, actually," Caitlin deadpanned. "Then again, he's constantly going to her because she keeps writing about him, but…" She shrugged. "Let me run this to Wells and then we can go."

"Sure."

Caitlin turned on her heels and headed out of the enclosed space that was used to run tests and experiments, finding Harrison sitting patiently by the viewing glass that looked inside the room. "Her vitals are normal as they are for her capabilities but there's something that I don't get," she said slowly. "She didn't appear surprised at falling asleep when having testing her body and the effects of intense heat on it. Which makes me wonder if there's more to her abilities she's not telling us?"

"Considering there's about sixteen years of her working with her abilities unaccounted for, I'm more than positive there's a lot of things she's not telling us," Harrison agreed. "It's just a matter of... _persuading_ her to do so. There is no plateau for her powers; she is definitely a lot stronger than Barry Allen is. However, we must take into consideration she's kept that secret this long, it'll probably be difficult to break it from her. The question remains that as she's in our company _why_ is she still keeping it to herself?"

His bright blue eyes narrowed for a moment. "And how we're going to get her to show us."

Caitlin nodded. She turned towards her mentor. "So, we're all going out for drinks tonight if you want to come." She watched as Harrison pulled back his wheelchair and turned so that he could leave the room.

"Sorry Dr. Snow, but I'll have to decline," he said. "I have important work to do."

Caitlin watched him leave. She went back into the examining room to find Cadence still sitting on the end of the table, passing a fireball back and forth between her hands, watching the movements of the ball intently, an orange glow across her face. She only looked up when Caitlin's heeled footsteps came her way. She then held her hand upright, where the fireball hovered before she closed her fingers into her palms, immediately engulfing the flames.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

It hadn't taken long for the two women to make it to the bar the group was at and as they arrived they were quickly swept into the group around the table, taking the drinks that were handed to them. Cadence glanced at the shot delicately placed in her hand, before quickly downing it. She closed her eyes, feeling the burn as it went down her throat before it cooled off once more.

"You look like you really needed that." Barry laughed.

"You have no idea," Cadence replied.

"Well, just don't get too into it," Iris warned her. "Or else you'll get arrested for public intoxication." She motioned towards Eddie who stood beside her, arm around her shoulders. The Detective laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm off duty right now," he said to the table. "So you don't have to worry about me." As if to prove his point, he picked up a beer bottle and clinked it against Iris's glass, causing the young woman to giggle, before taking a long swig. Barry rolled his eyes, bringing a shot up to his mouth and finished it.

Caitlin placed her purse down on the table and slid into a seat, crossing her legs. She addressed Cisco. "Did you get my usual?" She asked him.

Cisco nodded and handed over a glass with a dark liquid inside. He handed it over to her and she glanced at the drink before taking a long drink from it. "You're the only one I know that doesn't like anything other than a Rum and Coke." He tilted his head, passing a beer bottle back and forth in his hand. "And a very watered down one at that, considering the amount of ice you like in it."

"Hey, it's really good," Caitlin defended herself. "Don't knock it until you've tried it."

"Thanks, but I'm good with my Heineken." The two smiled and made a show of clinking their glasses together.

"OK!" Iris clapped her hands together, flashing a bright smile to the whole table. "Now that everyone's here, who's ready for a game of darts?" She pointed over towards the board that was held up on the wall nearest to them. "I promise I'll go easy on you this time."

"No way." Eddie shook his head. "You're way too competitive for your own good."

"Yeah, there's no way that you'll ever go easy on anyone," Barry agreed. "You're the one that screams at me when I accidentally break a rule when playing Monopoly. And even then, I'm surprised you haven't thrown your little racecar at me when I stack up my hotels on one side of the board."

The group laughed and Eddie turned his attention to Cadence, who had watched the group quietly, taking in their means of interacting with each other. It was obvious there was a sense of divide between the two of them, as Caitlin had mentioned before, but they all appeared to be having a good time so far. "It's good to see you here as well, seems like you're becoming a prominent figure in Central City."

"Yeah, well, I hadn't thought I would be here this long," she replied honestly. "But after having found Brady and seeing the kinds of people that are around here…"—she quickly changed the tone to her voice—"They're a lot nicer than some people in Metropolis can be."

"So you're going to stick around for a while?"

"How can I ignore the city that helped me get Brady back? Which I should thank you and Detective West for," she added. "If you hadn't continued to look into it I probably may not have found him." She shrugged. "Besides, I just got a job around here, and it wouldn't be fair to move again."

"Well, you're very welcome, Cadence," Eddie said with a warm smile. "Let's hope that you stick around for a while." He held his beer bottle out towards her and she brought out her glass, and the two toasted the air. "Cheers."

"Cheers."

To her left, Barry made a snorting sound before taking another shot and downing it. "Well, as it seems like no one else is going to challenge me, Eddie, why don't we play first?" Iris grabbed onto Eddie's arm and dragged him over to the dart board. He watched the two of them for a long while as the group around them continued to hang out with each other and as the night moved on they all started to loosen up a little bit.

When Iris finally took her break from beating Eddie at darts, she went over to Barry, who was sitting at the bar by himself, watching her. She caught this eye and smiled, walking over. "Hey. Having fun?" She asked him.

"Oh yeah," he replied. "It's so fun watching you get so worked up over a game as silly as darts." He reacted with an expression of pain as Iris whacked him on the arm. "Would you stop that?!"

"Hey, my father taught me that when playing a game you always have to try your best."

"That's probably because he, too thinks it's funny to see how worked up you get over everything." Barry shrugged. "But that's your passionate nature so I guess I don't have room to judge." He smiled and looked behind them to see that Cadence had decided to take her turn with darts, taking up Iris's space as Eddie watched. The Detective laughed as each throw the fire metahuman tried out missed the target completely. Her face turned red, eyes flashing, and she snatched the dart away from the Detective's hands as he had gone to retrieve them for her. "But it seems like you're not the only one that's competitive."

 _They're not the only ones,_ he thought, not particularly enjoying the way Iris managed to sigh dreamily—as she just had—whenever she spotted Eddie. This whole secret crush thing was really starting to kill him. He knew he had to say something soon but…what would happen if she didn't feel the same way? Their friendship…their 'family' relationship would be ruined and he couldn't handle the fall out. If he couldn't have her in his life, even as just as a friend, then he didn't want her at all.

The thought of losing her was an even greater driving force of his decision to keep quiet than the thought of things going well.

Iris looked over her shoulder and smiled before turning back to him. "We should start a club," she said then placed her had on his shoulder. "Actually, I'm really glad that you invited Caitlin, Cisco, and Cadence," she said.

Barry's eyes lit up. "They're cool, right?"

Iris nodded. "Very cool," she agreed. "They're just so…different, but so much like you. It's nice to see there's someone else that understands you like I do, though maybe on an even better level because even I don't get all of the scientific explanations you give me sometimes." She crossed her arms, lowering her head. There was an air of sadness that suddenly enveloped her. "And…and they saved your life, Barry. I don't know what I would've done if there wasn't anyone that could…."

"Hey, hey." Barry placed his hands on Iris's shoulders. "I'm still here aren't I? Nothing can get me down that easily." _Not anymore, anyway._ He bent his head down to look at her face, bringing his thumb up, wiping her tears away. "I'm alright, Iris, don't worry."

"I know." Iris lifted her head and braved a smile, wiping away the rest of the tears. "I just don't know what I would do without my best friend." Those two words ripped through Barry's heart but he still managed to smile, putting on a brave face like she had. "And Cisco and Caitlin…the ones that saved you…they're the coolest people I know because of that." The two turned back to the Detective and fire metahuman, who watched with a slight pout on her face when the blond man managed to get the dart to stick to the board.

"And anyone that can get _you_ to dance, Barry Allen, is cool in my book," Iris said. She laughed when Barry rolled her eyes. "Cadence is cool. We were talking about yoga and stuff and she even invited me to some of her classes. So you don't have an excuse not to come with me."

Barry's smile froze on his face. "I'll have to remember to thank her."

Iris giggled, noticing Barry's discomfort and rubbed his shoulder once more. She looked over her shoulder, noticing that Cadence had given up on her turn at the game. "Oh, I guess I'm up again!" She quickly went back over to Eddie, giving him a kiss on the cheek before taking the dart from his hand.

Barry had to look away, his stomach churning with jealousy and picked up the tray of shots that had been placed in front of him. There was something else that had been bothering him that night, something he didn't think would ever happen. He had drank before, and had been drunk so he usually could recognize the buzz he would get as well as the other tell-tale signs he was closing in on inebriation.

However, as many shots as he had taken that night, he felt nothing. No buzz, no slurring of the words, nothing. And he had drank a lot and being someone that as a kid freaked out thinking he was surely going to get lyme disease after having been bitten by a tick, this was even worse.

Bringing the tray over to the table Cisco, Caitlin, and Cadence occupied Barry spoke, "Guys, I have a problem."

Cisco snorted, his eyes trained on the object of The Flash's affection and her boyfriend. If there was a prize for the 'perfect couple'—if it even existed—they were probably it. And as Iris moved to take her turn at darts, Eddie's eyes moved down to her backside, an appreciative smile sliding onto his face, before taking note that another man nearby had done the same thing. He glared menacingly at the man and the man quickly got up and went to the other side of the bar.

 _Attractive and protective, those are qualities she probably doesn't see in you,_ Barry couldn't help but think.

"With guys like that around, all of us have problems," Cisco remarked, knocking Barry out of his thoughts. But it was Caitlin's words that had caused the three to look at her in surprise, "Yeah," she sighed with longing. "He's so hot."

"Caitlin?!" Cisco said in surprise.

She gritted her teeth sheepishly, turning back to the group. "I mean, aesthetically he is," she quickly corrected himself. "You know how, scientifically…. _genetically_ speaking. Because I'm a geneticist." Her eyes widened in worry. "I'm not sounding like Felicity am I?"

Cadence's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Who's Felicity?"

"Oh!" Cisco grinned. "Felicity Smoak. Not only is she super smart, a computer science wiz that works at Queen Consolidated, and smoking hot, but she also works with the _Arrow_!" He elbowed Barry in the side. "Barry knows the Arrow, too. _And_ he might know Felicity a little bit intimately but he won't really give us details not hat."

Now Cadence's eyebrows flew up into her hairline and she turned towards Barry with an amused smile. "Really?"

"No." He shook his head. "We're just friends."

"Like you and Iris are?"

 _"Anyway_!" Barry brought the attention back to himself. He motioned to the shot glasses on the table and using his enhanced speed, he started to down all ten shots in a matter of seconds. Cisco, Cadence, and Caitlin exchanged a glance as he finished off the last shot. "Here's the problem…I can't feel anything."

Tilting his head to the side, Cisco made a 'cuckoo' sign beside his head, causing Caitlin to smile and Cadence to burst out laughing. "Uh, yeah, that's what happens when you drink a lot."

"No!" The fast metahuman shook his head. "No. I mean, I can't feel anything. I'm not drunk. Which sucks because being twenty-five years old and being the youngest of one of those at the precinct and…" he nodded over towards Iris and Eddie. "I have plenty that I need a drink over."

"You see,"—Cadence lifted a finger—"if alcohol moves through your body that quickly, it just brings me back to my thought of what would happen if you were with a girl and—"

Caitlin cut the fire metahuman off as she sat up straight. "That's it!" She cried. "Your metabolism is burning off the alcohol at rates faster than any human would." She exchanged a glance with Cisco, who immediately leapt up from his seat to get more drinks. "I _need_ a blood sample!" She turned and started to root through her purse as Barry and Cadence simultaneously pushed up their sleeves and offered out their arms.

It wasn't the fact they were basically trained at that point to anticipate when samples or tests were to be had, but that Barry was surprised she had a blood taking kit in her purse and had said so. This caused Caitlin to respond with a defensive, "You have your hobbies."

"And I hope it's not darts!" Cadence broke in, suddenly irritated. Her eyes flashed dangerously as they trained on the dart in her hand, glaring at it as if it had personally offended her. "Who likes to play this game?! It's so stupid anyway; you just take this stupid little thing and throw it at a wall for what? To prove that you have good aim? If I wanted to do that, I'd take up target practice at the gun range, at least that's more fun! Let me just say if anyone ever wanted to suggest something fun for me to play it's not going to be fucking darts!"

As the last word came from her mouth the dart in her hand erupted into flames, stuck in the center of a fireball, causing Caitlin and Barry to jump.

Once the fire went out she turned her hand to the side and dumped the small pile of soot to the table-top. Barry and Caitlin exchanged surprised glances at Cadence's outburst before looking at her once more. She leaned forward, resting her arms on the table, continuing to glare down at the pile of ash. When she noticed things had gone quiet, she looked up at the two.

"What?" she snapped.

The shot glasses that sat on the table with remnants of alcohol still inside, immediately burst into flames; the fire going out as quickly as they had come.

"Woops."

At Cadence's sheepish smile, the three burst out laughing as Cisco walked over, carrying another tray of glasses. He took in the laughter of his friends and frowned. "Did I just miss something cool?"

* * *

 

The starts twinkled just as brightly as the lights of Central City on the rooftop of the office building where three metahumans had gathered. It was an informal meeting but was to be one that would cause a lot of damage and destruction, as they hoped, but would also bring their plans even further to fruition. They just needed to wait for the arrival of one more metahuman before they could officially start.

"Bette, we were hoping that you would be the one sent to help us."

Lucas tossed his lit cigarette to the ground and crushed it underneath his foot. He glanced over at the red hooded figure, whom he knew to be Breathtaker, and walked up to his side. Across from them was a young woman with long, auburn hair dressed in a black leather jacket, a purple blouse, blue jeans, and black boots. She looked back and forth between the two, her hands at her sides, fingers gently rubbing against each other.

"I'm here," she said slowly. "I thought there were five of you I would be meeting."

"At the moment there are only three of us that are in Central City," Breathtaker said in his low, quiet voice. "The other two are off doing their assignments and shall be back when I need to call them." Lucas suddenly turned his head to the side, noticing the sudden change in air currents around him.

"She's coming," he said and faced Bette once more. A second later and Cadence was standing at his left side.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologized, eyes flashing. "Traffic." She crossed her arms, nodding over at Bette. "So who's this? Is she the contact from the Suicide Squad?"

"Precisely, Cadence," Breathtaker agreed. "Bette Sans Souci." He then turned to the auburn haired woman and nodded at her as well. "This is Cadence Nash; she works with us as well." Bette looked Cadence up and down, nodding. "Now I'm sure you're wondering what it is that we need your help with though I'm also aware that you're currently under an assignment for yourself."

"Yes," Bette agreed. "I'm looking for some answers to things I've been questioning," she explained. Tilting her head to the side, she brushed her hair behind her shoulders. "Though as you know, I'm a part of the Suicide Squad as well, though now we're known as Task Force X. I'm aware that there have been talks of an alliance with the Assassination Bureau."

"Yes, and you can help us with that," Breathtaker said. "Only I had to be sure that you would be willing to help and your appearance here has shown me that." He nodded towards the city. "Please go and finish the task you had brought upon yourself and when you're ready, come see me again. I'll contact you."

"What about our assignments?" Lucas asked Breathtaker.

"Right, are we going to shift them now that Task Force X is working with us as well?" Cadence agreed.

"No, Cadence, you still have your assignment at hand. Keep digging…keep waiting and you'll have your chance to strike. For the time being, I will contact you and Stratos when it comes to another bounty. As well, Stratos, I need you by my side for something I need to have done sooner rather than later."

"Yes, Breathtaker."

"You are dismissed."

Bette, Lucas, and Cadence moved to leave the rooftop. "And Cadence?" The fire metahuman turned towards Breathtaker. His eyes glowed from underneath his hood, hands stretched out from underneath the robe, clasped tightly together. "It's good news to hear that Brady has been given back to you. I'm sure you're pleased.

Cadence watched him and as she did so, her eyes started to glow a light orangeish-red color. She gritted her teeth and turned her head away. _Don't do it again, Cadence. You can't risk it._ She let out a breath of relief when her eyes turned back to its normal color.

Pressing her lips together, she nodded at Breathtaker before turning and zooming off of the rooftop.


	10. Promises

**.:10:.**

* * *

 

Barry had still been in the bar when he heard the explosion. And for a moment he wasn't sure if he even really had heard it, he didn't think he had supersonic hearing as well as supersonic speed, but then he hard it again. Twisting around, eyebrows lowering in concern, Barry's green eyes scanned the bar to locate the source of the sound.

Then he had noticed the TVs that were set up around the bar had all been switched to the news and almost all sound in the bar stopped. As the speedy metahuman watched, the replay of an explosion at a downtown office building screened across the numerous televisions. Barry was broken out of his trance and looked over at Eddie, whose cell phone had vibrated, signaling an incoming text.

His blue eyes widened as he glanced over the text from Detective West. He gaped at it for a moment before his body went rigid and the expression was removed from his face. He was a Detective now, back on duty, he couldn't allow emotions or shock and surprise to register on his face. Lowering his cell phone, he turned to Iris, who tore her eyes away from the monitor. There was an odd sparkle in her eyes, one of excitement.

Noticing it caused Eddie to do a quick double-take. Why would she be excited about the explosion? Not to say that there was some sort of sick fascination she had with bombers, she may as well have had _something_ about her that was weird due to the cases she had heard from Joe and Barry. But as her eyes locked on with his, it disappeared and was instantaneously swapped with mimicry of concern from his expression.

"There's a bombing on eighth and pass," He mumbled before placing his hands on the young woman's cheeks and giving her a kiss. His hand placed on her cheek blocked his view of Barry immediately looking away from the contact. "I'm sorry baby, but I have to go."

"That's all right," Iris said dutifully. She watched her boyfriend push his way through the crows that had started to form before turning and slinging her purse up over her shoulder. Despite the excitement that was creeping up inside her—this was the perfect chance for her to see The Flash—she did her best to provide an even more convincing expression of weariness. "I'm sorry, guys, but I have an early shift at Jitters tomorrow and I have to get going." She looked from Barry, to Cisco, to Caitlin. "But this was fun and we should definitely do it again. Tell Cadence I said 'bye'," she added before walking out of the bar at almost a sprint.

Caitlin watched her leave before leaning forward and speaking in a low, quick tone. "We don't have enough time to get back to S.T.A.R. Labs to make sure everything checks out." She paused, catching Barry's eyes. I'm not saying that Cadence was involved, because that was too quick from the time she left but…fire…" she trailed off.

Cisco shook his head. "Nah, it couldn't be her. Not only is it an _explosion_ but even she couldn't have gotten there that fast if Barry can get there in an instant. I think it's something else. She's joined out team; she wouldn't have done something like this."

Caitlin started to protest, wanting to express hers and Harrison's worries with them, but Barry beat her too it. "Cisco's right," he agreed. "This can't be her. I'll go check it out." He turned and hurried out of the bar and when he was outside on the street, sped back to S. .R. Labs to change into his suit and hurried back to the site of the explosion. He came to a stop right outside the building, noticing the first on the far side of the building first then the window-washer hanging precariously above the ground second.

 _He picked a bad time to be washing windows,_ Barry thought. A second later he felt a rush of heat and spotted Cadence at his side, slightly out of breath. "Good to see you," he said.

"I can't let someone innocent get hurt," she replied, placing her hands on her hips. The flickering of the flames danced across the face of the goggles that kept her identity hidden from others. "What's going on?"

"Some sort of an explosion," Barry relayed the information. "And there's someone hanging up there." He pointed towards the roof.

Cadence nodded. "I can handle that." Shuffling a few steps to the side she thrust out her arms and concentrated hard. As Barry watched, the fire started to stretch the building and back to Cadence's hands.

 _She's absorbing it_ , he realized before bringing a hand up and pressing it to the earpiece of his suit. "Guys," he relayed to Caitlin and Cisco. "Cade has a handle on the fire, but there's a window-washer and he's gonna fall."

"Don't try and catch him," Cisco immediately warned him. He sounded a bit frustrated as he continued with, "You don't have a super strength." Barry knew exactly how the man felt.

Not only had he noticed the sort of weaknesses he had while being able to run super fast—he still couldn't, for the life of him, get anywhere on time—but his fighting skills still lacked and unlike the Arrow, he didn't have a lot of strength that would counter-balance his ability to move fast. Cisco, who was one that ingested a lot of superhero folklore and more often than not they had super strength.

It made him feel a bit inadequate in a way, and was one of his biggest insecurities other than trying to continuously get a handle on the powers he already had. And as he watched, he was hoping he would be able to utilize and succeed with the powers he was given. He licked hi lips, thinking quickly. "Yeah, but is there a bed store nearby," he suggested. "What if I get a bunch of mattresses and stack them?"

"Barry, this isn't a roadrunner cartoon," Even before Caitlin had spoken Barry knew there was going to be a bit of condescension in her tone. "Even if you could get all of those mattresses, you still might not be able to get back and forth in time, considering the velocity he'd be exuding as he hurled towards the ground."

"Barry!" He turned towards Cadence, who almost had the fire out at that point. She was looking directly at him with a piercing gaze. "Just go."

Cisco's and Caitlin's cries of "what?!" could he heard through Barry's earpiece. Barry looked back at Cadence and she continued to stare him down before he nodded back at her. He glanced up towards the building, mentally calculating the angle of the building in comparison to how quickly he'd have to move to get up towards the window-washer. Even from where he was standing he knew there wasn't much longer until the cable snapped.

"How fast would I need to go to run up the side of the building?" Barry finally asked.

There was a long moment of silence and then Cisco spoke up once more, slightly stuttering. "Uh, how far would you need to go?" He sounded as if he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. Even Caitlin had given him an expression of intense disbelief and apprehension that Cisco hadn't seen since Ronnie had passed. The ice-queen was starting to come to life more than she had before and it was all from the work they had been doing with S.T.A.R. Labs.

"I don't know, fifty meters give or take," Barry replied.

Cadence lowered her hands, the fire finally having gone out. She hurried back to Barry's side and looked up the face of the building, chewing her lower lip. She couldn't move as quickly as Barry could, but could manage to get there if needed. However, the same predicament would come in turn; the how would they get back down? And if she were to use the extent of her abilities, which she was trying her best to hide, what would be the general consequence? The man would either be burnt badly or they would go crashing back to the ground, which she would manage to survive but he wouldn't.

Instead, she turned back to Barry and nodded at him, her silent affirmation that he knew what he had to do and despite how mysterious she could be at times, Barry agreed with her. He couldn't hesitate and had to make his decision as quickly as possible. "Hurry!"

"Just run, Barry, run!" Caitlin called.

Once he was given the go ahead, Barry lowered his hand from his ear and blasted up the side of the building. Cadence stood back and watched as the streak of lightning shot towards the falling structure and the window-washer that dangled from it. As he reached the blur, Cadence heard a creaking sound and watched as the scaffolding started to fall.

"Shit." She murmured and started to run forward, anticipating where Barry and the man were going to land. The lightning streaked back towards the ground, landing at a spot directly in front of her, the scaffolding falling rapidly towards them. Cadence reached the two and grabbed onto Barry and the man. Before Barry could ask what was going on, the three were engulfed in a rush of flames and disappeared, reappearing a few feet to the side as the scaffolding crashed to the ground where they had been.

Cadence reached out and patted the smoldering spots on the man's clothes before turning towards Barry, who looked at her in surprise. "How…?"

She held up a hand. "No time for that, let's go."

The two turned to leave but stopped short when the spotted the young woman that stood behind them. Iris gaped at the Flash in surprise, not seeming to notice Cadence standing behind her.

When Barry spotted Iris he immediately froze, heart leaping into his throat before dropping to his feet. Iris stood in front of them, mouth gently cracked open, showing off some of her teeth. Her eyes sparkled in awe as she continued to take him in. The two stared at each other for what felt like forever—Barry quickly 'flashing' his face—before a thick wall of smoke swirled in and concealed his view. He twisted around to find Cadence with her hands pointed his way, the soot following her direction.

"Wha…?" he breathed.

"Let's go!" She called.

Barry nodded and faced away from the scene with Cadence following quickly after him.

Iris coughed, waving a hand in front of her face. When the smoke cleared, she looked around, hoping to still catch a glimpse of the Flash. She was a bit disappointed to see he wasn't still there, but in the long run she understood that it was for the best.

Barry and Cadence returned their suits back to S.T.A.R. Labs before going their separate ways. Barry went back to his apartment and moved on auto-pilot as he got ready to crash in front of the TV, his thoughts returning to Iris. Had she seen him?

Well, that he knew for sure, but had she recognized him? Did she get a glimpse of his face before he flashed it? And if so, was he meant to come right out with it or wait for her to come to him. Would she be angry he had kept the secret for so long.

But the most important question of all was due to the secret of his being the Flash and not telling her, had he lost her.

* * *

 

The next morning, Cadence turned away from the toaster and placed the blue paper plate down on the table in front of Brady before sliding down in the unoccupied seat in front of her son. She picked up a water bottle and took a long gulp before pushing it aside to glance at the front of the newspaper.

 _A bomb?_ Her eyebrows furrowed as she scanned over the article, explaining the cause of the explosion. _What was the point of blowing up that office building downtown? Especially when there was no one there?_ Cadence rested her chin in her hand as she looked over the news report. There were some files missing of some sort, nothing that would equate the use of a bomb. She knew it was nothing of the Assassination Bureau or Suicide Squad had orchestrated, it was too quick after they had left each other for something that Breathtaker had managed to put together.

And yet…something about it nagged her.

Brady followed her gaze and pointed at it with fingers covered in butter, having had started in on his breakfast with both hands. "Did you help stop that fire, Mom?"

"Yes, I did." Cadence smiled as she tucked the newspaper away and turned her attention back to her son. "Nothing so exciting," she added. "Just the run of the mill fire." Brady beamed at her and she smiled back before being stumped at his next questions.

"When am I going to get super cool powers like you have?" He took a large bite of his toast, smearing the jelly that had been spread on top, across his upper lip. The fire metahuman chuckled at his sense of unfairness. Despite her natural instinct to protect him at all costs, she had wondered the same thing shortly after he had been born. Lying in her hospital bed her thoughts wandered from _What would happen if he has powers?_ to _What sort of powers would he have? Would they manifest around the same age? What would happen if others find out?_ Brady continued, breaking her out of her thoughts. "I mean, you were my age when you got your powers, how come I don't have any? That'd be so cool."

"What power would you want to have?"

"To fly." He said it so matter-of-fact that Cadence laughed. "I want to be able to go places without having to walk everywhere."

"Hate to break it to you, Bud, but then you'd have the chance of ingesting even more spiders and bugs than you already do in your sleep." Cadence smiled, remembering the times when he was younger, being afraid to sleep after having heard the rumor that the average person ate eight spiders in their sleep a year. However, instead of rising to her bait, Brady smirked at his mother.

"I'm not the one that's afraid of bugs, Momma, you are." He laughed, obviously pleased with himself, as the young woman shook her head, lightly rolling her eyes.

She cleared her throat before changing the subject. "Are you excited to be going back to school?"

Then Brady's shoulders dropped and he looked glumly down at his plate before looking at his mother up from underneath his lashes. "Do I have to?" His green eyes shifted. "They're all just going to…ask why I was out of school so much and make a big deal out of it."

Sighing through her nose, Cadence leaned forward and ruffled her son's hair. "You weren't gone that long, Brade and I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you and I promise it won't happen again. But those other kids…they won't care. They're just going to be happy to know that you're back in class with them." She gave him a long look. "Unless this is about a girl."

"No way!" He recoiled quickly, his shaggy hair covering his face. "Girls have cooties."

Cadence feigned offense. "I'm a girl. Do I have cooties?"

"Yes, but you're my Mom. So your cooties are okay."

"I'm glad I have your stamp of approval." Cadence laughed and looked at her watch. If she didn't head out to work soon she was going to be late and unlike Barry, she was very punctual. "Go get your stuff or we'll be late."

"OK." Brady slid out of his chair and went to his room to get his school books. Cadence gathered up their dirty dishes and disposed of the as he got ready for school. "Don't forget you have soccer practice after school today."

When Brady returned from the room with his book bag and sports bag, Cadence made sure she had all of her gear to work at the fitness center, and the two headed out to the bus stop, waiting for the bust hat would take him to Central City Elementary.

"I'm working a couple of different classes today, one running kind of late," she explained as the bus pulled up in front of them. "So when you're done with practice you can take the bus to the fitness center and I'll meet you there."

"Okay." Brady turned and gave his mother a hug. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you, too." Cadence watched as Brady got onto the bus before walking around to the back of the apartment building. She looked both ways, being careful that she wasn't being watched, before teleporting via the use of flames as she had done the night before. She popped up in an alley across the street from the fitness center and as she started across, she spotted a familiar head of hair walking down the street away from the fitness center.

Narrowing her dark eyes, Cadence tilted her head to the side as she continued to the fitness center, watching the woman continue down the street. Due to her punk look in nature, she had immediately drawn Cadence's eye, but it was the shock of white hair that had been cut in a Mohawk atop her head that caused Cadence to react in surprise.

"Leah?" She questioned as the woman went around the corner. _I thought Breathtaker said we were still waiting for her._ She continued to stand in front of the fitness center when she heard her name called and turned, watching Harrison motoring over to her. "Harrison," she greeted him. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled a little, eyes flashing behind his glasses. "I like to get some exercise in every once in a while," he explained. "God forbid I look like a body builder by the time I'm done, top half heavier than the bottom, but it's better than sitting around and tinkering with my experiments all day."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow, studying him.

And yet the smile remained on Harrison's face as he folded his hands in his lap. "I was hoping I could have a word with you, Cadence. That is if you have the time."

"I'm early for my shift as it is," Cadence replied with a nod. She reached out and grabbed onto the door of the fitness center, allowing Harrison to wheel in before her. Once inside she instructed him over to an emptier part of the lobby; a ping-pong table set up at one side and a pool table at the other. Apart from the older men that sat on one of the couches by the ping-pong table, they were alone.

Cadence sat down on the couch, crossing her legs at the knee as she looked up at Harrison. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you could pass on a message to Kent and Maya," Harrison said to her. "That I hope they're doing well and nothing b good wishes."

Cadence blinked, caught off guard. She cleared her throat before reaching her hand up to her neck and scratching the back of her neck. "I haven't spoken to my parents for some time now," she replied. "As unfortunate as that is. But we just seem to keep missing each other when it comes to communication. But I'll do my best to get the message to them I mean,"—she laughed lightly—"you've been a family friend for so long, I'm sure they'd like to hear from you."

Harrison kept his gaze steady on the fire metahuman. "I'd hope that's the case. Your parents have always been able to see the good in people and I'd hate to think that they would think badly of me after the accident." He cleared his throat, running his hands over his knees. "But then that brings me back to you, I know our contact had been sporadic over the years but I'd like to think that we've had a good relationship. I don't know if you'd remember but I had been present at a few birthday parties and celebrations…" he trailed off, looking away from her.

Cadence nodded. She did remember him being in attendance for her tenth birthday, giving her a chemistry set that she had used for hours on end before she had gotten so into her track practices and, admittedly, becoming more interested in boys. She remembered being a little disappointed he hadn't been there for her middle school graduation, but they sporadically had kept in touch as the years went by. "I can honestly say, Harrison, that out of anyone in the world the first person that I'd trust, apart from my parents,"—she felt a twinge of _yeah right_ as she said those words, but he didn't need to know about it—"would be you."

At those words, Harrison turned his eagle eye back to her. "Now how do you think it makes me feel considering you've been keeping something so big from me?" Cadence paled, her mind racing a mile a minute before he continued, causing her to relax. He lowered his voice as he leaned towards her. "You've had your powers for a long time," he said. "For sixteen years. As a matter of fact. You've had all that time to hone and harness your powers and when it comes to working with us at S.T.A.R. Labs, you're holding back."

Cadence continued to watch him, eyes narrowing as the seconds passed.

"Now that brings me to the question of _why_ you're keeping it from us. By now you'd be familiar with the absolute extent of your abilities without leading to the brain damage that you're so deathly afraid of." Before Cadence could answer, he smiled a little and despite the tense, almost manipulative smiles he usually showed, this one was sincere.

Small, but sincere.

"Having had your powers start when you were at such a young age, I understand that it may have been scary and you were essentially forced to keep it quiet. But you're in an area where abilities like this should be celebrated. And not only that, but I believe that you will be a great driving force in providing Barry Allen with the tactics, strategies, and uses of his power to ensure that he had a great future."

Cadence closed her eyes, turning her head away. She knew Harrison to be very smart, not many other people would be able to create something in their entire lifetimes as extraordinary and astounding as the particle accelerator. And she found it would be difficult to keep things away from him. He had hundreds of people that had worked for him and they all had to report to him for things that would be excelling or failing. It was his job to know when something was being hidden from him.

But what did he really want to know? She wondered. Did he want to know absolutely every last thing she was able to accomplish with her abilities? Did he want to know every last thing that had happened to her outside of her abilities? Did he want to know what she was doing now? _Does he know what I'm doing now? _

And for the first time since Cadence had announced her arrival to Barry, Harrison, Cisco, and Caitlin, she wondered if coming to Central City was a bad idea. She was away from her past in Metropolis, her life was getting better—despite her means of providing a better life for her son could be questionable—, and she had come upon a place that would allow her to use her powers in peace. Having someone on her side for once…

Harrison reached out and gently grabbed onto her hand. "Everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs wants to see you succeed. You and Barry. You're in a safe place now."

Cadence smiled and he pulled his hand away. "I think I'll be safer once I actually clock into work," she commented. Harrison nodded and backed away his wheelchair so that she had space to get up from the couch. She watched him leave the fitness center before going back to the locker room and getting ready for her first class.

When she entered the room, she immediately spotted Iris stretching in the corner of the room and caught her eye. The young, dark-skinned girl smiled and waved at her and Cadence gave a short wave back before that familiar feeling of guilt washed over her, this time stronger than ever.

Bringing her hands up, she smoothed her hair back out of her face and pulled it into a ponytail before turning to the boom box that sat on the floor beside her and turning it on. Loud, upbeat music poured out and she turned back to the class with a wide smile on her face.

"Okay, who's ready to have some fun?"


	11. Dreams and Realities

**.:11:.**

* * *

 

Sighing heavily, Barry turned onto his right side. He stared at the wall in front of him for a few moments before squeezing his eyes shut. He held that position for a total of one and a half minutes; he counted, before flopping onto his back and staring at the ceiling. Shadows and flashes of light swirled around the ceiling; dancing back and forth and chasing each other while the sirens and sounds of Central City reached his ears.

He struggled to focus on counting sheep but then found he had gotten to almost 3000 sheep in a matter of seconds before lightly groaning, reaching up and running his hands over his face. That had been one of the side-effects Barry didn't anticipate of his powers. He already had a mind that ran a mile a minute because of his scientific background as well as the capacity of knowledge he dealt with on a daily basis. Then to add on his speed to increase the thoughts that raced across his mind right before he went to sleep and for the past couple of days found that he couldn't get to sleep.

He had read many horror stories of those that had hours, even days without sleeping. He had studied the types of drugs they had taken to stay awake; they had seen how the personalities quickly changed, how they started to have micro-sleeps in the middle of their day, and even how they had started to hallucinate.

Drugs weren't his thing and he wasn't even going to experience micro-sleep if he wasn't able to sleep at all, but hallucinations were what he was afraid of plaguing him. Flashes of light here and there, thinking there was some liquid around him floating. At first he had thought it was form his memory of the night his mother died, but he was one hundred percent sure that had never happened while in his own apartment. But while he continued to lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, he saw the flashes of light once more.

Twisting his head to the side, Barry's eyes rapidly moved around his bedroom, trying to follow the light. Heart hammering against his ribcage, he flung himself upwards and turned on the light, hoping he would catch whatever monster or boogeyman it was that had caught his eye. But like every other time he had indulged himself upon his nightmares, there was nothing.

Wait—

He frowned, listening hard. Was that the creaking of his floorboard? There was a specific floorboard near his front door that creaked no matter where he had stepped around it. No matter where he was in the apartment, the sound of that floorboard creaking could be heard when he had people around. Not that anyone really did come to his place; Iris and Joe were the only ones that really came by and from the looks on his face, Barry knew Joe was never particularly impressed about the state of his apartment but wasn't going to ask him to move back home.

Slowly climbing out of bed, Barry reached over and grabbed the baseball bat that had been resting in the corner of his room. Holding it up high in his hands, he walked out of his room and crept towards the living room. Was he really hearing this? Or was there really someone out in this apartment? He had taken a few more steps before coming to a stop, tilting his head back and mentally smacking himself in the face.

 _Duh, Barry, you have powers. If there's anyone in here, you can get them in a matter of seconds._ With that thought, he zipped out of his room and towards the living room. As soon as he appeared in the living room, Eddie let out a bit of a yelp as he turned around and found Barry and Joe looked at the metahuman with a raised eyebrow.

Barry, on the other hand, stared at the two police officers with his mouth wide open. Finally, he found his voice. "What are you two doing in here? Wait." He held up a hand. "What are you doing in my apartment?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Eddie replied, finally managing to catch his breath. He motioned to the bat in Barry's hand. "Playing a game of catch?"

"More like whack-a-mole." The response came flatly and Barry ran a hand over the back of his head. Joe turned to Barry, his eyebrow rising even higher and looked him up and down. Barry then noticed that he was only in his boxers and rolled his eyes at his own exasperation. "Okay, my bedroom wardrobe aside, what are you guys doing here in my apartment?"

"I called your cell phone like five times, Barry, but you haven't answered," Joe explained. "Captain Singh wants us to check out the bomb site sooner rather than later and I know that you're off the clock right now, but it'll give you the day off tomorrow."

Barry nodded, slowly trying to piece together what had just been said to him. _Wait a minute. They want to check out the site right now? Normally we wait for the morning, when we have all of our resources at our disposal? Especially considering all of the benefits of having Captain Singh there when we were able to_ —

"Barry!"

Blinking rapidly, Barry took a step back and looked over at Eddie and Joe, who continued to stare back at him. He brought a hand up to his forehead, gently shaking it. "Right. Yeah. Just let me get dressed." He started to move around the Detectives, only stopped by a hand on his shoulder by Joe, who gave him the look that only father's could give. That 'you better tell me the truth or I'll be disappointed in you' you kind of look.

Having been on the receiving end of that look so many times—mostly because of the times Barry had tried to run away to see his father in Iron Heights—he knew it was something he had to listen to.

"I know you didn't just come zooming displaying your powers all willy-nilly," Joe said in his low rumble as Eddie looked around the apartment. He glanced at his partner before turning back with a slight smile. "Though it was funny to see him jump like that."

The grin that graced Barry's features faded after a second. "Yeah, well, what do you expect me to do when people break into my apartment!"

"One, I didn't break in, I have a key," Joe reminded him. "And two, even then, you can't have people know about your abilities even when you're the most vulnerable." He looked over at Eddie once more, who was now glancing at pictures that lined the wall and then started laughing to himself. "But that was _really_ funny."

Barry went back to his room and got dressed as quickly as he could before walking back out to the living room, pulling up the collar of his jacket. He glanced over at Eddie who had taken a picture of him and Iris off the wall and was looking down at it with a fond smile. "You guys have known each other a long time," he remarked.

 _You've been together for how long and you didn't know that?_ Whether it was sleep deprivation or his own bitter thoughts, Barry didn't know for sure, but there was a surge of pride that had gone through his body at the realization that he may still have a bit of a leg-up against the good looking Detective. "Yeah, forever," he agreed.

"And you've got a really good place here," Eddie continued. "Though it must be getting kind of lonely being here by yourself."

"…yeah…?" The speedy metahuman gave Joe an odd look and the African-American man gave him a confused shrug in reply before they left the apartment building and headed down to the crime scene that Barry had been at hours before. When they arrived, the Detectives were joined by other police officers and spread out, starting to look through the evidence that had been left behind.

Opening his examiner's kit, Barry pulled out a pair of gloves and started to pull them on. But then a rush of wind zipping by him, tugging at his hair and clothes.

_Barry._

He whipped his head upwards, eyes shifting back and forth. His co-workers around him continued to go about their jobs as if they hadn't heard anything. Had _he_ heard anything? Looking back down at the crime scene that had been roped off, Barry had started to work once more, getting ready to take a sample when the wind blue once more, this time scattering the evidence in front of him.

Now, he felt fingers brush against his neck and he slowly stood up, looking around. His hands immediately filling with sweat, he started to follow in the direction of where he thought the wind was coming from. Maybe an air conditioner.

As he continued to walk he heard the whisper of his name growing louder and louder.

_Barry…_

_Barry._

_Barry!_

_Barry…_

"Who's there?" He followed the voice around the corner and saw a dark figure standing at the end of the hall. "Hello? Are you alright?" Receiving no answer he crept towards the figure at the end of the hall. It stared back at him, not moving. "You shouldn't be here…this is an open CCPD investigation. A crime scene. It's all blocked off."

"Barry."

The figure spoke and Barry stopped in his tracks. That voice…he would recognize it anywhere. It was the voice that he had wanted to hear for years, the ones he heard in his dreams and in the memories he wanted to have, the ones he held onto so tightly he couldn't bear to let go.

Mouth dropping open slightly, Barry moved the slowest he ever had, in case the image in front of him became that, an image, and illusion that would leave him. In his right mind, he knew there was no way, but at the same time…she was right there in front of him.

"M-Mom?" The word came out of his mouth in a whisper, almost inaudible.

Nora Allen smiled back at her son, pressing her hands to her cheeks before reaching out to cup Barry's cheeks. Her hands were warm; as comforting as he remembered her being. "Barry," she murmured. "My sweet little Teddy Bare."

Barry reached up to press his hands against his mother's. "Mom." And then there was a sharp tug at the back of his collar and he felt himself stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. He zeroed in on the hole that sat in front of him and looked up to see Joe practically glaring down at him. Not a glare of anger, one of intense worry. "Wha—?"

"What did you think you were doing?" Joe demanded. "I turn around and you look like you're about to jump out the window!"

"I, I was, uh…" Barry looked ahead of him and saw that he was standing nearby the hole that had been created by the explosion from the night before. The wind that he felt had been coming from the breeze that wafted over Central City. The fingers on his neck, his mother…

He took a deep breath and turned back to Joe before getting to his feet, brushing off his clothes. "I just…wanted to get an idea of the force of the explosion by the size of the hole as well as the supports that are exposed…" he trailed off.

"Yeah, well, you aren't invincible, Barry, please don't test that theory unless you know for sure," Joe said. He removed his tight grip from Barry's shoulder and turned him back towards the debris that had been scattered along the floor. "Please…get back to work. Unless you _want_ me to keep an eye on you.

"That won't be necessary."

Barry finished pulling on his gloves and kneeled back down by the debris on the floor, the remnants of the explosion. As he got busy with his work he tried to push the thoughts of his mother back out of his head. _I mean, she's dead, Barry. You know that._

And yet, he still couldn't help but question that if she really weren't there, why did it feel so real?


	12. Do You Think Wells Dates?

**.:12:.**

* * *

 

"Do you think Wells dates?"

The question had caught Caitlin so off guard that she nearly dropped the coffee mug that rested against her palms, cradled by her delicate fingertips, all over her laptop. If it wouldn't have angered her so much it probably would've been a good thing, she needed to stop looking at pictures of Tahiiti longingly. It just made her heart hurt more and more as the days passed.

Removing her hand from the mug, Caitlin deftly used her fingers to close out of the goggle images window, only to be rewarded with a picture of her and Ronnie smiling happily at the camera. With a slight sigh—more like a grunt of disgust—she closed her laptop. That was the second thing she had to do, change her computer background.

Turning her attention to Cisco, she noticed that he was still waiting for her answer, standing in the doorways, hands shoving into the pockets of his cargos, a stick of a lollipop hanging out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Do you think Wells dates?" Cisco repeated and then launched into his tirade. "I mean, it's been a while since the incident and I'm sure that many people find him attractive. He's not bad looking for his age and the whole being in the wheelchair thing should probably help with that whole vulnerable thing."

Caitlin's face scrunched up in confusion, which is something that typically happened when trying to decipher what it was that Cisco was talking about, and then leaned back in her seat. "What do you mean? What suddenly brought that up?"

Shrugging, Cisco took a step towards Caitlin, then backed up once more when he felt the blast of AC. "I was on my way here this morning and saw Wells at the fitness center." When Caitlin's eyebrows rose, he clarified. "I saw him there with Cadence. They were holding hands." He shrugged. "I mean if he likes younger girls that's fine; he can do whatever he wants. But that's kind of weird, right?"

For the first time in her life, Caitlin was at a loss for words. She had no fears of public speaking, could talk to just about anybody, and wasn't afraid to show people that she had a vast knowledge about anything she set her mind to, but once it came to the topic of Harrison Wells' dating life, she didn't know what to say. Not only should she _not_ think about it—it wasn't her business, he deserved his privacy, he was her mentor—but what sort of woman did it make her if she bypassed all of his success, awards, and novelty just to gossip about his love life?

But then again…it was an interesting thought. _Not that you're interested of course,_ she reminded herself, feeling a surge of heat move to her cheek. None of them knew anything about Cadence's past, they had opened their arms to her when she first came to STAR Labs and Caitlin could admit that most of it was due to the fact that Harrison had put in a good word for her. They had known each other for a long time, as it had been said, he had known of her abilities for a long time, and now she was part of their team. She hadn't thought there was anything else that could be going on between them.

 _Dating?_ Caitlin thought about it for a long moment then shook her head. No, she refused to believe that. "Like you said, he can date whomever he wants," she said, making a show of putting down her coffee. "But I don't think he's dating her. That's just…such a preposterous idea. For one, he's old enough to be her father. For another, that wouldn't be ethical. Dating one of your co-workers could be very detrimental to your work and everything else that is affected by them."

"Okay…" Cisco gave her a knowing look and she rolled her eyes in frustration.

Yes, she realized the split second after finishing her sentence that she had basically just thrown herself and Ronnie under the bus—she really had to stop thinking about him—and hadn't helped her case at all. But it wasn't like Cisco was demeaning her for it; he had been best friends with her fiancé and could admit at times that she had been jealous of their bromance. It was hard to tear Ronnie away from video game nights and wacky experiments that the two somehow managed to think was a good idea that ultimately had them call 911 so much so that the paramedics knew them on a first name basis.

But Cisco had also been the one that had been the first Caitlin and Ronnie told about their dating, before getting their blessing from Wells, and was the first one they had announce their engagement to. As far as Caitlin knew, she wouldn't have gone out with Ronnie or had been engaged to him if it weren't for Cisco as he was the one that told Caitlin to give him a chance after turning the young engineer down the first time he asked her out. Slated to be the best man, Cisco had truly cemented the spot as Ronnie's best friend and Caitlin's pseudo-little brother to the point she didn't know what she would do without having Cisco in her life.

She certainly wouldn't have been able to get through the explosion and the grief that came afterwards without him to go through it as well—Wells had been in the hospital and physical therapy long enough to miss most of the funerals—and probably wouldn't have been able to keep going if he wasn't there to always try and make her smile. In fact, after Wells had asked her and Cisco to continue working with STAR Labs, to look after Barry and track his progress, he was the one that had talked her into it. While the three of them were a team, she wouldn't be able to do anything without Cisco by her side.

"Shut up, Cisco." Caitlin gave a light laugh, twisting back and forth in her office chair. She motioned to the seat across from her. "Why don't you come in and sit with me? I could use some time to listen to your next theory over who Superman or the Arrow is."

Now Cisco gave her a funny look, making a show of taking a large step backwards. "No, thanks. I plan on keeping that chair permanently empty." Caitlin's next look was nothing but offensive. "Sorry, Cait, but your office is freezing and I don't plan on having my nipples turn blue then fall off."

"One; blue is a beautiful color,"—Caitlin stuck her tongue out at her friend as he rolled his eyes—"and two, it's not that cold in here." She never noticed the cold anyway; in fact, she had always thought it was kind of warm in her office that was why she always had the AC running. But…no one did seem to like sitting in her office for more than a few minutes before complaining, despite her sitting in a light blouse that revealed her elegant arms lacking a hint of goose bumps.

Cisco was about to reply, but was cut off by the sound of Harrison's vice coming through the speakers in the office. "Cisco, Caitlin, I'd like to see you out on the main floor. There is something of the utmost importance we have to talk about."

Caitlin gracefully uncrossed her legs and stood up straight. Smoothing down the back of her skirt she motioned for Cisco to follow her. They fell into step together as they head out to the main floor. Taking another sip of her coffee, it had started to go cold, she went back to the subject they had been talking about before because…honestly, she kind of wanted to know for herself.

"If you _really_ want to know if Wells is dating, just ask him."

"Sure, and then I'll probably be relegated to cleaning the entire particle accelerator with a toothbrush."

"Wells wouldn't do that!"

"With his sense of humor, he might."

Caitlin and Cisco smiled at each other as they entered the main floor and spotted Barry, Wells, and Cadence were waiting for them. Cadence's arms were crossed over her chest, her windbreaker making a scratching sound against the fabric of her tank-top and lycra shorts as she shifted from foot to foot.

"We need to get your phone number, Cadence," Cisco said as the two came to a stop with their co-workers. "So it'll be easier to get in touch with you." He snapped his fingers. "And that reminds me to create an ear-piece for you suit, and maybe I can put in some flamethrowers or something as well."

Barry gave him an odd look. "If she controls fire, what would she need flamethrowers for?"

"I think Cisco's just using it as an excuse to build one," Caitlin said. "Kind of like the cold gun."

There was a brief moment of tense silence that filled the room and Caitlin winced, realizing her mistake. She turned to Cisco and gave a sheepish grimace, mouthing 'sorry' to him. Cisco managed a small smile in return.

"It'd be one hundred times better than the cold gun."

"What cold gun?" Cadence questioned.

"That's a conversation that we'd like to save for a later time, Miss. Nash," Wells smoothly broke in. He turned to Barry, training his blue eyes on him, and nodded. "Right now Mr. Allen has some interesting news regarding the explosion that he'd like to tell us. I understand that CCPD were at the scene of the crime last night."

Barry nodded, swallowing thickly. He thought about telling them, as soon as he saw them, about how he had seen his mother. But now he wasn't sure if there was a point. He was obviously just working hard and not getting a lot of sleep. He was imagining things. There was no other explanation as to why he would've seen his mother there.

"Well, we had been at the scene of the explosion last night got some of the initial investigation done, but…" he hesitated. "All we've got is a VA file number." At Cisco's glance of disbelief while he collapsed into his seat, Barry continued. "The CCPD has been taken off of the case by the army."

Cadence's eyebrows rose as she gave a low whistle. "They can do that?" She hoped her voice didn't sound as interested as it sounded to her.

"They can do a lot of things," Caitlin replied. "But I never thought they'd have the authority over something as small as this."

"Apparently it was under the orders of a General Eiling," Barry continued.

Then Wells made a sound that grasped the others' attention and he rested his hands into his lap. He paused for a moment, licking his lips before explaining. "General Wade Eiling. About ten years ago Eiling contacted STAR Labs to create an enhanced gene therapy for soldiers." He reached up and scratched the back of his neck, a dark look coming over his face. It affected him more than he wanted to lead on, that was obvious, however there was still something eerie about his next words. "But I was interested in the benefits for civilians. He really wanted to develop mind reading capabilities for interrogation purposes."

Cadence snorted loudly. "If he wanted to do that so badly, he could've just waited for the particle accelerator explosion. Maybe someone was getting their fortune told when they were hit by the blast." She said bluntly then looked around; realizing everyone else had merely looked at her. "Sorry, was that too soon?"

"Just a little, Cade," Barry replied.

She nodded and fell silent, listening once more.

"I stopped my studies when I saw what was going on, but let's just say that our split was less than amicable," Harrison continued.

Barry nodded. He hadn't thought there would be a lot of people that had wanted to speak to Wells after the explosion, and it was a harsh reality to think about, knowing that there had been so many that _had_ wanted to work with him before everything that happened, happened. Despite the wheelchair the man was imprison in being a constant reminder of that, it had to be those that _hadn't_ been affected by the explosion that made things even worse for him.

Clearing his throat, the speedy metahuman handed over the folder he had clenched tightly in his hand. "The army took everything apart from this folder." Wells gave Barry a look of gratitude and the metahuman turned towards Cisco, whose frantic typing had finally reached his ears.

"Name that matches the ID is Bette Sans Souci," he explained as Caitlin, Cadence, and Barry all went to the computer behind him to get a closer look at the data.

Cadence looked at the photo and gave a nod so small it was undetectable to those around her. Yep, it was the same girl she had met on the roof with Lucas and Breathtaker. _So she's the one that blew up the office building. I wonder if this is Breathtaker's plan._ The most worrying point was that if it was part of something the Assassination Bureau was a part of…how come she wasn't told?

"There's a lot of redacted info, but otherwise I've looked her up and found that she's…excuse me, she _was_ a member of the EOD portion of the army." He sucked in a breath between his teeth as Barry brought a hand up to cover his mouth.

Caitlin tilted her head to the side, scratching the side of her neck. She willed her eyes not to trail over towards Wells, who was busy going through the contents of the folder, and focused on the picture of the woman that was on screen. "EOD?" she repeated.

"Bombs."

"Oh."

"D'you have an address?" Barry asked. He waited for Cisco to relay the information before nodding over at Cadence, who listened to the exchange quietly. "C'mon."

"Actually." Harrison's voice cut through the air and the two metahumans turned back to him. "Barry, you can go see if you can find Bette, I don't feel it'll be a two person job. While you're at it, I have some tests that I'd like to fun on Cadence." He didn't give the opportunity for protest as he navigated his wheelchair around and headed towards the medical bay of STAR Labs. Barry zoomed out of the room with a gust of wind.

"I'll bet he does," Cisco murmured to Caitlin, causing the bioengineer to smile in amusement.

The electronic grinding sound of Harrison's chair immediately stopped. "What was that, Cisco? Do you have something to say?"

Caitlin immediately moved in front of her friend, her natural instinct to defend him kicking in. She had seen how furious Wells was when he learned of Cisco's cold gun and didn't want that wrath bestowed upon him once more. Maybe he would be easier on her. _Where'd that come from?_ She cleared her throat before speaking. "He was just saying that, earlier, he saw you and Cadence in the fitness center…kind of cozy…" she explained. Now Harrison turned around and regarded her with a hard stare, eyes flashing. "We're not saying it's any of our business what you decide to do in your free time, but we were kind of curious what your relationship with really Cadence is. I mean, she suddenly stumbled upon STAR Labs saying she was looking for Barry and you immediately brought her in." She turned to the fire metahuman who listened intently.

"No offense, but its not like we've had the best luck with metahumans as of late, we don't know if there's anything that'll happen."

 _More than you think._ But instead of allowing the thought laced with mixed emotions to appear anywhere on her face, Cadence's nose wrinkled as she listened to Caitlin's explanation. "I can tell you it's not what you're thinking," the fire metahuman interrupted before Harrison could continue. "I'm not dating Wells." The expression on her face was the epitome of disgust. "It's like I've said before, I've known him for a while." She turned her head to the side, nervously scratching her neck. "He's an old family friend of my Mom's and Dad's. Other than that, I don't have a relationship with him."

Caitlin and Cisco, who had turned from Cadence and back to Wells, noticed that something strange had flashed through Wells's eyes as the brunette explained herself. Pain, maybe? But after a moment, the look was gone and he appeared amused. "As much as I enjoy the thought of you two discussing my dating life, which isn't as desolate as you would think, there are better times and places for that sort of conversation." He lifted a finger. "Now, the first thing that I'd like to do is run a CAT scan and an MRI. Considering the conversation that we had earlier, she's not afraid to show the extent of her abilities and I'd, first, like to see if there are any differences in her body to Barry's in means of the energy they both hold."

Following close behind the three STAR Labs workers, Cadence chewed her lower lip. There was a reason she didn't like to show off the extent of her powers. Apart from having been trained to hide it so much when she was younger, but because she knew how powerful she could be at times. One moment of distraction or losing control and things would go badly. _Just like last time._ She let out a deep breath and waited as Caitlin walked back and forth from station to station as Cisco and Wells perched themselves behind computers that would bring up the images from the scans.

"Alright, Cadence, I need you to lie down on this platform," Caitlin said, motioning to the scanning machine. "It'll take you inside and you'll have to lie very still to make sure that we get everything we need to see, alright?"

Cadence hesitated, feeling something grip her muscles. She slowly walked towards the young woman. "Do we have to do a MRI? Is there anything else that will do the same thing?"

"I assure you that this is the most efficient way," Harrison called to her. "And you have no need to worry. I trust Dr. Snow with my life, if I felt she couldn't handle this, I wouldn't ask her to fulfill the task for me." Caitlin smiled a bashful smile over towards Wells before going over to Cadence and gently placing her hand on her shoulder.

Now that she knew there wasn't anything going on between her and Wells—that had, strangely—made her anxiety go away, she knew she could fully trust the fire metahuman. She gave the shorter woman a peaceful smile. "I'll go as quickly as possible," she promised. "But, as I've said, I must ask you to hold still as long as possible."

Cadence gave a small smile back and nodded, before dutifully climbing onto the platform. She pressed her hands down onto the cool surface of the plastic beneath her and looked up towards the ceiling. Caitlin reached over and carefully pulled Cadence's hair up into a ponytail and gave her another comforting smile—sort of a mothering one—before disappearing from view. Cadence let out a deep, shaky breath and continued to stare at the ceiling. Each breath in and out became shakier and shakier and the fire metahuman let out a quiet yelp as the platform started to move into the machine.

She squeezed her eyes shut, hands shaking against the hardened plastic, beads of sweat starting to roll down her forehead. She could feel it start to warm under her hands. There was a brief hum and she could hear the machine start up around her. Cadence slowly opened her eyes and when she became aware of how close the enclosed tube was around her, her chest started to rise and fall in rapid succession.

"Cadence, I need you to stop moving," Caitlin called.

Cadence pressed her lips together, hoping to hold in her whimpers but she could hear them start to come out.

"Something's wrong."

The words barely got out of Cisco's mouth before a loud scream erupted from Cadence. She brought her hands up and started to slam them against the inside of the machine, hoping to find a way out of it. Her hands erupted into flames and as she continued to hit the inside of the machine, it left scorch marks but didn't burn. There was a rustling sound and the tray slid out fast enough that Cadence twisted and fell to the floor face first.

Caitlin and Cisco were them by her side, Caitlin's arm around her shoulders, gently rubbing them and Cisco holding onto a large water bottle. Harrison wheeled close, but still sat a few feet away, looking down at the three in utmost distress. Cadence took the water bottle and drank half of it before handing it back to Cisco.

She dropped her hands to her lap, shoulders slumping, then looked back and forth between the three before letting out a quiet, "Did I mention that I'm claustrophobic?" Causing Wells to smile and Caitlin and Cisco to burst out into laughter. Relief instantly moved over the metahuman's body and she brushed her hair from her face. "I-I would've mentioned it but…"

"Don't worry about it." Caitlin patted her not he shoulder. "I'll get the handheld scanner." She stood up and started to leave the room as Cisco leaned into the machine.

"Wow, this resists fire, too," he remarked. "Maybe I can use his material for something…"

Barry then arrived back at STAR Labs in his underwear, pulling a gray t-shirt over his head. Cadence stood up from the floor and slowly walked over to him. Barry glanced at her then at Cisco and Caitlin, who both were staring at him in confusion.

"Don't ask," he muttered from their intense gazes.

Caitlin held up her hands, silent.

"What happened to your suit?" Cisco demanded. His tone of voice suddenly did a one-eighty. Gone was the excitement as he thought about the newest thing he could invent, replaced with intense fury.

Cadence walked over to Barry and grabbed onto his shoulder. Standing on her tiptoes she brought her nose up to his neck and took a deep breath, before backing away. Tilting her head back, she looked up at him curiously as she tried to figure out the origin of the acrid smell that wafted from his skin, accompanying the scent of Old Spice. She recognized all reasons for something burning; electrical fires, grease fires, burning wood, anything that caught on fire created a different sort of scent. The flames that came from her gave off a sort of sweet smell. What was coming off of Barry was acrid and smelled, surprisingly of gunpowder.

"It blew up," she reported. "A bomb?" At Barry's nod she took a step back and looked him up and down. There didn't appear to be any mark on him.

"It blew up?" Cisco repeated.

"I don't know what happened," Barry defended himself. "I found her and was going to bring her back here, then she touched me and my suit exploded. She's not carrying bombs, she _is_ a bomb! A metahuman! A metahuman that can create bombs from anything she touches."

Cisco took in the information with a slight nod, lower jaw moving to the side. He was clearly too preoccupied with the thought of his suit having blown up more than the news of the new metahuman. Wells, on the other hand, listened quietly to the news, fingertips pressed together.

"How can anyone so beautiful blow up my suit?" Cisco collapsed into his chair once more, bringing up the picture of Bette. He let out a sigh, as he stared longingly at it.

"Unless she didn't mean to hurt you," Cadence spoke up. She hopped no one noticed the way she looked at Bette's photo. "If she were trying to blow you up specifically, don't you think she would've tried harder?"

"And it would explain why General Eiling is so interested in her," Wells spoke up. He closed the folder and placed it on his lap. "Feel free to give yourselves the rest of the day off. I have some things that I need to take care of." He backed out of the medicinal wing and headed towards his office. Passing by Caitlin, he lowered his voice so only she could hear him. "I put a lot of faith in your decisions, Ms. Snow; please let me know if you think that continuing with the can of Cadence is needed. If not, I have some other ideas."

"Of course," Caitlin agreed. She watched Wells leave once more. _If he's a family friend, wouldn't he have known she was claustrophobic?_ Then her next thought was the one that startled her. _Unless he's trying to keep something from us._ She had never had a reason to doubt Wells before, but now, with a strange, tightening sensation in her stomach, Caitlin Snow realized she might not know him as well as she thought. And it made her feel weird.

* * *

 

Cadence glanced at her watch before starting to pace back and forth. The soles of her black vans scraped against the ground as she continued to pace back and forth. Soon she heard footsteps coming her way and she turned, finding Bette slowly coming towards her, cautiously looking her up and down.

"So, I heard you blasted apart the suit of one of my friends," was the first thing Cadence said to the explosive metahuman. Bette's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I didn't think he was part of the Assassination Bureau," Bette said to her. Cadence gave a slight smile.

"He's not," she said. "Just like he wouldn't be part of the Suicide Squad." Now Bette's face turned hard and she moved towards the fire metahuman with a determined stride. "No, those factions work separately." She nodded towards Bette. "I mean, that's why Breathtaker allowed you to finish whatever it is you needed to finish before helping us with our assignment." She tilted her head to the side. "So you're the one that destroyed the office building last night…what was so important about that file?"

Bette looked at Cadence for a long moment, and then shook her head. It wasn't a dismissive head shake, but one that showed how…vulnerable she was. Cadence recognized the look on her face, one of anxiety, being stuck between two different choices that had to be made. "Do you ever wonder if things happen for a reason?" Bette changed the subject. "That we're the way we are…we joined the groups we did for a reason?"

Cadence thought about it. She didn't really remember when she had run into the Assassination Bureau or what it was about her that they had wanted. She just remembered the days after she had started working for them and that she still currently was. She didn't believe it happened to her for a reason more than she thought she had her powers for a reason.

"Why _are_ you working for the Assassination Bureau?" Bette changed the subject. Cadence's eyes narrowed over at her. "If we're going to be working together…Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau, I think I'm owed an explanation."

Cadence ran a hand through her hair. "For the money," she said.

Bette didn't appear surprised. She merely crossed her arms. "Monetary gain can be a pretty powerful thing," she remarked. "It can turn even the most level-headed person into a shell of what they once were."

"Money's not for me," Cadence said, though she didn't elaborate even further. She turned the tables back on Bette. "What about you? Why'd you join Suicide Squad?"

Now Bette smiled a little. "It gives me a better sentence than the one I was already going to have." She took a couple of steps backwards. "I'll see you soon."

Cadence nodded and watched her leave, waiting until she was out of sight before looking at her watch once more. She then teleported out of the area in a rush of flames and smoke and appeared behind the building across the street from the fitness center. She had just made it across when the city bus pulled up and the doors whooshed open.

"Hi, Mom!" Brady came flying down the steps, backpack in hand.

"Hey, Buddy." Cadence knelt down and opened her arms, giving her son a hug when he reached her. She took his backpack and slung it over her shoulders before taking his hand and starting down the street. "How was school?"

"It was okay," Brady replied with a shrug. "It's school."

"You're only eight years old, Brady, you can't use the 'its school' excuse yet," Cadence playfully reprimanded him. "Save it for middle school at least. It'd keep me from worrying so much."

"You always worry, Mom."

"You're right, but at least give me some peace of mind before I prematurely start to go gray."

Brady laughed, causing Cadence to smile. She really wouldn't know what she would be doing if she hadn't had Brady. Despite being sixteen years old and becoming terrified when it had been confirmed that she really was pregnant, she could never think of having aborted the child. At first, her thought had been to give him up for adoption, and shortly before the deadline of the decision to be made; she felt him kick for the first time. She had been sitting on the floor of her room, hands on her stomach as she tried to figure out the answer to the math problem she had been working on when she felt the sudden pressure on her lower stomach. Slowly, she brought her hands down and rested them on the area that had taken the blow and whispered out a quiet, "hello?"

She felt idiotic for trying to speak to the baby, but then found that it reacted, kicking her once more. She felt it under her hands. Smiling to herself, she moved her hands to another part of her stomach and leaned over—struggling to lean over—and spoke to another part of her belly. "Hello?"

There was another kick, the baby having followed the sound of her voice.

She knew then that she couldn't give up her baby or adoption. Despite knowing there was a chance it'd have a better life, she couldn't bear the thought, not after the connection they had made. She suffered through verbal abuse form her peers as she decided to keep the baby, her parents' own embarrassment, and even then she still wouldn't make a different decision.

"Well, if you go gray that means you're old, and that means you can retire and spend more time at home," Brady said. The comment was so innocent, something he probably didn't think twice about, but it was still something that hurt Cadence to the core. He knew nothing of their lives other than there being some people she had angered that had taken him, but he hadn't seemed to be too concerned about it, especially knowing the powers she had.

Still, she wondered if there would ever be a time where he would stop believing everything she told him and wanted to know the truth and how he would react when he was finally told.

"Yeah, well, if I stayed home all the time we wouldn't have any money, remember?" She reminded him.

"Yeah, but then we can live with Grandma and Grandpa. I haven't seen them in a while." Cadence grimaced at Brady's comment and looked away from him as they passed by Jitters. She noticed Barry inside and he must've noticed her too for he turned her way and waved. The fire metahuman waved back and turned to Brady. "Are you hungry? Soccer practice must've taken a lot out of you."

"Yeah!" Brady's eyes immediately lit up and, mirroring his other's enthusiasm, dragged her inside the coffee shop. He left her grasp and went over to the counter, taking in the menu and what they had to offer. Barry chuckled as he got up from his table and went to Cadence.

"I see he's not very shy when it comes to knowing what he wants," he remarked.

Cadence nodded as she crossed her arms. "Unfortunately that seems to be something he's gotten from me," she remarked, causing Barry to laugh. _No matter how true that is._ "So what are you doing here? I figured with your day off you'd be off doing…" she trailed off, realizing that she didn't know him well enough to know what it was he liked to do during his free time. "Whatever it is that Barry Allen does."

The speedy metahuman looked over his shoulder towards Iris, who was leaning over the counter, talking to Brady. "Actually, I was hoping that Iris and I could do something together. I mean, we haven't been able to do much with my job, STAR Labs, Eddie…"

"You feel like you're losing your best friend," Cadence remarked, to which Barry nodded. She wasn't going to press his having a thing for her again; he was very clearly a bad liar about it if even Caitlin and Cisco had noticed it. "I know the feeling; I lost my best friends when I left Metropolis. They didn't understand…they were always aware that I was keeping secrets from them and I guess it bothered them more than I thought."

"When'd you leave?"

After a slight hesitation Cadence responded, "When I was seventeen."

"That's kind of young, don't you think? Where'd you go?"

"I didn't think it was so young. Everyone that lives in Metropolis, for the most part, is pretty independent from their parents. We had to grow up that way, not only was it a place that had a lot of successful business that were being run; LutherCorp, Queen Industries—"

"It's called Queen Consolidated now," Barry interrupted.

Cadence wrinkled her nose then twisted her mouth to the side. "It's a better name, I suppose. Places like that are the ones that run the city. And then there are the smaller businesses that most families of Metropolis own. So you're either gonna be trapped in the pitfall of working with your family or you find some way to get out." She held up a hand. "Don't get me wrong, it's a cool place to live, and if you get tired of the city you can always go to Smallville. There's always something to do."

"Doesn't sound like a place I'd leave, honestly," Barry said. He turned towards the table he had occupied before and Cadence joined him. "Kind of like Central City, I've never left it."

"Not even after what happened to your parents?" Cadence looked up as Brady walked over with a large chocolate chip cookie in his hands. He broke off a part and handed it over to his mother, who gave him a grateful smile and took a bite.

Barry gave a sad smile. "No," he said honestly. "I made a vow that I wouldn't leave until I found out who killed them."

Brady's eyes widened at the words. "Someone killed your parents?"

Cadence nodded and turned towards him. "This is Barry Allen. He, Detective West, and Detective Thawne helped me find you."

"Oh. Hi!"

"Hi." Barry replied, chuckling as Brady went back to eating, bust listened intently. "After they were murdered, I went to live with Joe and Iris, but I didn't give up trying to figure out what happened. It was that and Joe's influence that made me think about working for the CCPD. And even if I do find the guy, I don't think I could leave. I love it here. Its home."

Cadence's eyebrows furrowed. "But aren't you lonely?" She hadn't meant being completely lonely, as in not having anyone around, he really did have people around him that cared for him. But being alone in ways that he couldn't let people know about his powers; ways that were clearly tearing him and Iris apart as he became closer and closer with Caitlin and Cisco on a daily basis.

"Weren't you?"

The fire metahuman nodded. "I didn't understand for a while, how lonely I felt. I mean, I had all of the friends in the world I could ever want…but then I didn't have anyone around me that really understood me or what I was going through. It was like having two different lives that I had to keep quiet, one that I was never able to show anyone. Not even those I trusted with my life. I mean, sure there's Superman and the Arrow, or whatever he calls himself, but…I never truly got over being alone. And with that loneliness…I've made some mistakes, but you can't learn if you don't make mistakes, right?"

"Right."

Stricken, Brady looked up at his mother. "You're not alone, you have me!"

"And me," Barry agreed to which Cadence smiled. Barry leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, tilting his head towards her. "So how does she treat you? She doesn't give you a hard time, does she?"

Chewing thoughtfully, Brady shrugged. "Sometimes, she worries. But my Mo—"

"Why don't you go see if they have chocolate muffins, too?" Cadence interrupted. Brady immediately slid out of his seat and went back over to the counter to ask for the item. Barry shook his head.

"You know he's going to be very hyper-active after that right?"

"Yeah, well, I've dealt with the little Goober for years; I think I can handle his hyperactivity by now." Cadence brushed her hair out of her face, resting her chin in her hand as she watched her son.

He was already talking a mile a minute to the waitresses about something and they listened to his every word. She turned back to Barry who had brought his coffee to his mouth, but looked at her with a smile in his eyes.

She reached out and picked up the napkin that sat on the table in front of him, balled it up, and threw it at him. "Shut up, Barry."


	13. History Repeats

**.:13:.**

* * *

 

Iris looked around the break room to be sure Eddie was alone before walking inside, heading over to him. Despite everyone at the precinct knowing she and Eddie was a thing, she didn't want to rock the boat, lest she was accused of only wanting to be sure that he was alright and that she didn't care about anyone else in the precinct. Truth be told, CCPD was like a second family to her; ever since she had been born, before her mother had left, she was always at the police station, seeing what there was to see and learning the ropes. No one else had been as excited as the CCPD when she announced she wanted to become a police officer. And no one else had been as disappointed when she, instead, had to tell them she was going to be going to grad school instead, all because Joe thought it was too dangerous.

But she was starting to really enjoy what she was doing with her knowledge from her journalism classes as well as the Streak sightings. Enough so she now saw it as blessing in disguise. Eddie spotted Iris heading towards her and smiled at her, she beamed in reply as she said, "Wasn't Zumba fun this morning?" Standing on her tiptoes she gave him a quick kiss then stepped back, noticing that his smile, which had been a genuine one only moments before, transformed into a grimace.

"Yeah, it was totally fun," Eddie said unconvincingly. "I didn't think twisting by body into a pretzel could _be_ any more enjoyable." He replaced the coffee pot back onto the holder and turned to his girlfriend. "Not even beating out Kurisky at the gun range." He brought his coffee mug to his lips, taking in a long sip of coffee.

Iris rolled her eyes and shoved her boyfriend on the shoulder. "You're such a liar." She poked him again for extra measure before giving him a flirty smile. "And a bad one at that."

"I'm sorry, Iris, but guys aren't supposed to be able to move their bodies like that," Eddie defended himself.

"Oh yeah? Then what about male gold medalists for gymnastics?"

"I thought about that, and I've come to the conclusion that they're aliens."

"Geez, you're starting to sound like Barry, believing in the impossible." Iris crossed her arms, now smiling at a distant memory. "You should've seen it. Once he was so sure he had seen a UFO that he made me stay up late for a week with a stupid little telescope pointed towards the sky, jumping every time a cloud passed over the moon. If it wasn't so cute it would've totally sucked." She laughed quietly to herself and, when noticing Eddie was giving her a funny look, she calmed down. "What?"

"Nothing." Eddie took another sip of his coffee, hoping to avoid the conversation.

"Eddie, I can see it in your face," Iris insisted. "There's something you're not saying."

"It's just…Joe and I went over to Barry's apartment to get him to check out a case, since we had to work overtime," Eddie explained. Iris nodded for him to continue. "The bomb." He didn't notice Iris stiffen beside him, eyes shifting to the side. "And I was looking around his apartment as he was getting ready and there were a lot of pictures of you two."

"Really?"

Not that Iris hadn't known that. She had been to Barry's apartment enough times that it was like her own home away from home. Well…when she wasn't at Eddie's place, which was weird in itself. Barry's apartment felt warm and inviting to her every time she stepped over the threshold, as if it were where she was supposed to be. But at Eddie's place it always felt awkward, like she _wasn't_ supposed to be there and was just sneaking behind Eddie's back. _Granted,_ she reminded herself. _For a while I did sneak around behind Dad's back. _But it was still like every time she spent the night, every time they made out or even cuddled she didn't feel one hundred percent safe, like she was _supposed_ to be there.

She loved Eddie dearly, it was one of the first good relationships she ever had as the ones before then had fizzled out or ended badly, and she didn't want to mess it up any more than she already did when she first suggested they keep their relationship a secret. Ever since Joe found out about them, things had gotten better, but there was still that tiny part of her that didn't feel completely there.

"Yeah, lining the walls and everything," Eddie continued. He paused. "I guess I just never understood how close you two really were. I mean, there are best friends and then there's…you and Barry."

"Well, Barry's more than my best friend," Iris said honestly. "He's my family. I don't know what I'd do without him." She moved closer to Eddie and placed her hands on his cheeks. "Or you either." She leaned in and gave him a long kiss.

Eddie placed his coffee mug aside and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her back. The two were interrupted by the sound of an awkward cough behind them and Iris turned around to see Barry hovering in the doorway, eyes downcast.

"Yeah, I, uh…I was just going to get some coffee," he explained.

"Hey Bare," Eddie greeted him.

Barry gave a pained smiled in reply. "Hey…Eddie."

Iris, on the other hand, placed her hands on her hips as she stalked over to her best friend. "You were going to drink this pathetic excuse for a coffee when I bring you a great cup of coffee from Jitters every day?"

"I was running late," Barry explained. "I didn't think you'd remember." He then trailed off realizing how he may have just made the situation bad for himself considering Eddie. "Not that I expect you to do it for me every day. Or that it's all I look forward to, but that, I mean, it really is better than what they have here. The stuff is nasty."

Eddie blinked once. "I…made the coffee this morning."

 _Good going, Allen._ Barry nearly laughed out loud at the situation. "And I'm sure it's great, Eddie…thanks."

"Relax, Barry, I was just kidding," Iris reassured him, looping her arm through his and patting his forearm. "Just giving you a hard time. I had a feeling you'd be late, anyway. I mean, you're not exactly Mr. Punctual."

Barry glared at her.

"Speaking of hard times, I need you to bring your friend Cadence in to CCPD as soon as you get the chance," Eddie said to Barry, immediately grabbing the brunette's attention with a snap of his head. "She needs to fill out an incident report and answer a few more questions to see if we can find the ring-leader and why they had wanted to take her brother."

"What?" Iris's eyes widened as she looked back and forth from her boyfriend to her best friend. "He was taken?" Eddie explained the whole story and Iris frowned, pursing her lips. "How come no one told me?! She didn't say anything. Ugh, when am I going to get perks from this place?"

"Well, you don't get shot at every time you walk out the door, so I'd say that's a perk," Barry pointed out. Now Iris glared at him and he held his hands up defensively. "Just a joke." He turned his attention back to Eddie once more. "Do you really need her to come in? I didn't think there was any other information that we could get."

The blond's eyes narrowed slightly as he placed his hands on his hips. The movement caused his jacket to spread apart, showing off the handcuffs, taser, and pistol that were attached to his hip. "Yeah, well, there are a few more leads that we can get out of Michael Bloom's file and if we get absolutely everything we can out of her. We don't want to leave any stone unturned."

 _We don't want you to get too close to STAR Labs either,_ Barry thought, reminding of how many times he had to make an excuse about being late or scatterbrained at work because of being The Flash. He wasn't sure how anyone at STAR Labs; Wells, Cisco, or Caitlin continued to make excuses to work there if most of the world thought the organization had become defunct. However, he didn't say any of that out loud, choosing instead to say, "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

"There you are." The three turned as Joe walked into the break room, staring hard at his daughter, who appeared bewildered. "What were you doing at the crime scene yesterday?" Iris opened her mouth to protest, and then stopped when Joe continued, "there were plenty of officers there that had seen you, don't try to deny it."

"Wait, you were _there_ last night?" Eddie demanded, turning to his girlfriend. "Don't you know how dangerous that was?"

"Yes, I know." Iris hung her head as she walked to the other side of the room, clasping her hands together. She needed some space to herself; to be sure she wouldn't feel trapped as the conversation went on. Things weren't going to go well. "But…I had to see for sure. And I saw him!"

"Saw who?" Eddie demanded.

"The Streak!"

Barry grimaced as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Joe whip his head around and burn holes in the side of his head with his harsh stare. _I should've known this was going to come back to haunt me. I should've said something to Joe first._

"The Streak?" Joe repeated after taking a deep breath. "Baby…the Streak isn't real."

"I _saw_ him!" Iris insisted. She chewed her lower lip. "I looked directly at him, and I saw him…but he wasn't alone. There was someone with him too. I think there are two people who are trying to save Central City, but the Streak has always been the one that wants to help the most, I can tell!" She paused. "I've been writing about him for my blog. There's something going on around Central City and I want to get to the bottom of it, to the bottom of him."

Barry choked and turned it into a cough as a naughty image appeared in his head. It wasn't the time to think about that, but her choice of words hadn't been the greatest and he couldn't help himself. Eddie, sensing the distress of his girlfriend's best friend, handed over his mug of coffee and the metahuman quickly downed it. At least it gave him a chance to think about it.

"I mean, you were drinking last night, Iris, all of us were," Barry said. He motioned to Eddie, who nodded in agreement. "It might not have even been the real thing."

"I wasn't drunk, Barry Allen," Iris snapped back.

"Mm, that's true." Eddie scratched the back of his head. "She came over later and I can always tell when she's drunk because she…" he trailed off, looking over at Joe, who was now giving him a death glare. "I-I mean…that's not really important to talk about right now." Joe nodded. "And, if this really is true, you said you saw him, what does he look like?"

Iris sighed in exasperation before shaking her head. How could the three most important men in her life not believe a word she had to say? "I _did_ see him and I only say his face for a second, he wears a mask. But,"—she couldn't help the smile that came to her face—"I think he smiled at me."

"Probably because someone saw him and he realized he might've been finally getting a 'thanks' for a thankless job," Barry commented. "Theoretically. And besides, if he was wearing a mask, have you even though that he might not want anyone to know who he really is? I mean, that's the point of a mask, right? And secondly, it can't really be that important to you. I mean, you don't even put your name to it."

Iris stared at him in surprise for a long moment before a hard tone came to her voice. "I've listened you to talk about your mother and father and how there was a man in yellow that killed her, and I listened about aliens and UFOs and other life out there and _this_ is the thing you don't believe?"

"Iris, I'm trying to be supportive—"

"If you were being supportive, Barry, then I wouldn't feel like you're belittling me right now!" Iris snapped. She gazed at him with confusion. "You're my best friend, how can you do this?"

"What's important is that you need to stop putting yourself in harm's way," Eddie interrupted. "You can't keep running around and doing whatever you want because you think you're invincible."

"Dad," Iris tried to plead with her father but he raised his hands up defensively, as if to say 'leave me out of this'. Iris sighed heavily and went to continue but stopped when she spotted Captain Singh now leaning in the doorway of the break room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but something's come up," he said quickly. "And General Eiling needs to speak with you Detective West, Detective Thawne." The four exchanged glances and left the break room, going out to the main floor of CCPD. They found General Eiling waiting patiently for them, standing in a military pose. Iris hung back as Barry, Eddie, and Joe continued forward.

"General Eiling," Joe said formally. "I'm Detective West." He shook the man's hand before gesturing towards the blond. "This is my partner Detective Thawne. What can we help you with?"

The corners of his lips lifting, General Eiling shook Joe's hand. "As you know, earlier we've taken over the case of the bombing investigations. But we need everything you have to be sure we have every scrap of information that'll help us with our investigation," he explained. Joe and Eddie exchanged a glance and he continued. "To an untrained eye this will seem like a civilian case, but I happen to know, and am unfortunate to report, that the suspect is one of ours." He lowered his chin, letting out a quiet breath. "So we'll need _everything_ that you have ASAP." His eyes moved over to Barry. "Including that folder you're holding there. Looks to me that it's something that came from the crime scene."

Joe, Eddie, and Barry exchanged a glance as Captain Singh ordered them to hand over every piece of information they had managed to collect since the day before. There was nothing else they could take from Barry; they already had the folder from the day before. Then Barry understood. _They know its Bette. They're just trying to turn over every rock to make sure they can keep an eye on her. And we just helped him do it._

"Nice doing business with you," General Eiling said in his low, gravelly voice. Barry stepped aside and watched as General Eiling and his army men were led out by Captain Singh. There was silence around the group as they watched General Eiling walk away.

"Can they do that?" Eddie asked.

Joe sighed and nodded. "We have no choice." Reaching out, he patted Eddie on the shoulder. "C'mon, we have some work to do." He caught Barry's eye and the two walked to their offices to get to work.

Barry turned back to Iris, who had started to turn away. He hurried over and caught her arm, briefly catching glimpse of the disappointment on her face. "Iris—"

"How could you, Bare?" She turned back to him, eyes flashing with anger. "I already had to defend myself against Dad and Eddie, but against you, too? I've _always_ been there for you and you're just going to turn your back on me like that."

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Iris," Barry insisted. "I mean…things are already dangerous for you, your Dad being who he is….my job…and almost everyone in Central City knows who we are! If someone found out that you were writing about the Streak…if he has any enemies…something can happen to you. Don't you get that?" He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her right in the eyes. _Can't you tell what I'm trying to tell you? Can't you see that I'm not just worried about you? _"How do you think I'd feel if I was going to a crime scene and found out it was you?"

Iris tilted her head to the side, giving him a small smile. "I know how to take care of myself, Barry. Dad's made me take self-defense classes every year, remember? And if you've forgotten, I can beat you up, too." Barry cracked a smile. "But…it's really sweet that you care that much about me. I promise I'll be careful…but I can't promise that I'll stop writing about him. He's out there, Bare, and…he's one of the best things that's happened to this City." She smiled at him, suddenly feeling warm. "Apart from you of course."

She still couldn't bring herself to think about how she was when she thought she lost him...when he was still in that coma. It was too painful. He was here now and it was all it mattered.

Barry smiled bashfully.

"I promise I won't worry you about it anymore, alright? That's all I can do."

 _It's better than nothing._ "All right." He gave her a quick hug, relaxing as she hugged him back just as tightly. "I have to get to work, I'll see you later?"

"You will."

Barry nodded and waited for her to leave the precinct before moving to leave. He stopped, blinking rapidly when he spotted his father standing in the doorway of CCPD headquarters, waving to him. But then a mailman passed in front of Barry, blocking his view of his father, Henry with a large box, and when he moved out of the way, Henry Allen was gone. Barry continued to stare at the spot for a moment before shaking his head, then hurrying out to STAR Labs. As soon as he arrived, he gave the new information to Caitlin, Cisco, and Wells, including that Iris had gotten a good look at his face.

"Barry," Caitlin scolded him. "You have to be more careful."

"I know!" Barry ran his hands over his face. "I just…I didn't think it'd be such a huge problem. I figured she wouldn't get so…excited about it."

Cisco snorted. "Then you clearly don't know Iris a well as you thought you did." Barry glared at him and Cisco immediately crammed a lollipop into his mouth, turning to the computer screen by him. "But if what you said is true, that means that Bette is in even more trouble than we already thought."

"Try and get a lock on her," Harrison instructed. "We can't have Eiling find her. Who knows what he'll do once he catches up to her once more." His eyes flashed as he lowered his chin to his hands. "I don't want to think about what that man will do to her, he can be very persuasive when he wants to be. And he always gets his way."

Now frowning in concern, Cisco leaned forward and started to work harder at the computer. "I won't let that happen," he murmured. Caitlin walked up behind him, watching his progress. "Got her!" He leaned back. "She's last spotted in Inglewood."

"That's where Dr. Harold Hadley's office is," Caitlin added. She crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back, looking over at Barry and Wells. "He was the one that had done the surgeries on her when she got back to the states." She tapped Cisco on the shoulder. "Get Cadence over here as quickly as you can." She then turned to Barry. "Run, Barry."

He was out of STAR Labs in seconds, blowing her hair out of her face.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Miss. Snow," Harrison said.

_This is it, Bette. No turning back now._

Bette crossed her arms as she walked into Harold Hadley's office in the Center for Inflicted Wounds. She had been there too many times before and was aware of the hours that the doctor worked there. She knew he was to be alone that time of night and as she sauntered into the room and the aging man looked up at her, she saw nothing but surprise.

He hadn't expected anyone to be around. That was exactly what she needed. Dr. Hadley reacted with surprise, shuffling the papers on his desk as he moved backwards. "S-sergeant Sans Souci," he stammered.

"You remember me," Bette ground out, walking closer to his desk. "Good. Because I remember you, doctor. I remember waking up from a coma and you cutting me open."

"I was only trying to ease your condition," Dr. Hadley protested. "A condition you couldn't control!"

"You did this to me!" Bette spat. "You and Eiling." She started to stalk towards Dr. Hadley, bringing up her hands, running her fingertips together. No matter that she was able to turn anything into an explosive when touching it; she couldn't ever do it to herself. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to turn into an explosive that she had turned so many other innocent people into. Her numerous suicide attempts were what told her that she needed to get back at Hadley and Eiling. Now she was going to blow one half of her problems away.

All of a sudden there was a gust of wind that whipped her hair around and she sensed a presence behind her. Turning around, she spotted the man in the red suit once more. She stared at him, eyes wide as she took him in. Hadn't she blown him up before? His suit? How had he managed to get back to her? How did he find her? The thoughts raced through her head didn't get a chance to become vocalized as there was the sudden sound of breaking glass and a searing pain in her shoulder that caused her to keel over and crash to the floor.

She looked up at the man in the suit and Hadley as the two stood up, looking down at her. It took only a few seconds for her to register what had happened. _Eiling. He found me._

"You okay?" The man in the red suit was suddenly at her side. "Look, I can get you out of here and to a place that'll help you. I can help you understand what happened to you?"

Struggling to push herself up, Bette looked at him suspiciously. "How?"

"Because the same thing happened to me."

Another window broke and Bette looked over, watching as a flash bomb bounced across Hadley's desk. The man in the red suit grabbed onto Bette and zoomed out of the office. She lay dangled in his arms, hands barely grazing the ground that set of mini explosions as they went along. Barry would've had a better grip on her if it weren't for the fact that she still had the opportunity to completely blow him to bits if she had the opportunity.

However, the two arrived at STAR Labs within a matter of seconds, not to the surprise of Caitlin, Wells, Cisco, and Cadence, who had been waiting patiently for him. As soon as he arrived and set Bette down, Barry took off his suit and turned back to his normal clothes as Caitlin, Cisco, and Wells approached her.

"I'm Dr. Snow," Caitlin introduced herself, placing a delicate hand on her chest. She had to remind herself not to extend her hand for a handshake lest she wanted a bloody stump leftover. "This is Dr. Harrison Wells." The older man nodded. "And this,"—she paused, motioning to Cisco who was quite obviously drooling. "Cisco Ramone."

"Hi." Bette nodded back. Her eyes shifted over towards Cadence and rose in surprise then lowered in confusion. She gently cocked her head as if to ask 'what are you doing here' but Cadence shook her head in response, silently warning her not to say anything before introducing herself, to which Bette introduced herself as well. She then turned back to Barry. "You said the same thing happened to you…what happened?"

Wells rolled towards Bette. "Well, unlike Cadence, our little fire starter—or fire bug if you will—you and Barry were struck by the wave of energy that came to be after the explosion of the particle accelerator. There was a wave right after the detonation that exposed the residents of Central City to an unquantifiable energy. One of those people was you, Bette, as you were in Central City ten months ago."

Bette listened carefully to what Wells had to say then turned her gaze over to Cadence. "What about you?" She asked. "How'd you get your abilities?"

"I had gotten sick, when I was eight," Cadence explained. "Sick enough to be put into the hospital, I had a very high fever that, for some reason, didn't kill me though was quite close to brain damage. Somehow, while I was fighting off that fever, I got my powers."

"So you weren't here when the Particle Accelerator blew?"

"No."

Bette nodded, lowering her head. She looked down at her hands as if they were detached. And in many ways they were, they hadn't been hers for a long time and she missed it. She missed the touch of another's hand, a featherlike trail against her lover's cheek, the way the warmth of body head warmed her. Now she couldn't touch anyone in fear that she would send their innards all over the room in a matter of seconds. She wasn't ever going to know the feeling of it ever again.

Caitlin must've noticed her plight once she arrived, for she suddenly walked back into the room, carrying a pair of gloves. Passing the metahuman a gentle smile, she handed them over before moving to step back with her colleagues.

Bette looked down at the gloves for a long time before sliding them over her hands. _This is it Bette, this is what you've been reduced to. A pair of gloves._ Anger quickly flashed through her as she flexed her fingers against the material. "I had just returned from Afghanistan. I was there defusing roadside bombs and….shrapnel ripped through me. I was shipped back to the states and recovered on base. And the next thing I know, I became the thing that almost killed me. And Eiling's favorite new lab rat."

"The dark matter must've combined with the bomb particulate inside your body," Caitlin reasoned, to which Harrison gave her a nod filled with pride.

"I thought Eiling did this to me."

Harrison gave a short bark of laughter. "Eiling isn't smart enough to create someone like you. He never has been and he never will be. But clever enough to see your value, I'll give him that. That was something he's always been able to see, how much of an asset someone or something will be to him."

"Do you know of any others that have been changed?"

There was a brief pause around the room. "There've been a few," Caitlin said. "Barry and Cadence being some of the…newer ones we've found."

"But none of them have looked as good as you," Cisco said with a charming smile.

Bette glanced over at him, appearing not to take his compliment to heart. But then her face softened and she gave him a small smile. "Thank you," she said, causing him to smile wider. Then that haunted look came to her face once more and she turned away from Cisco, as if not registering what she had done before.

Barry chuckled to himself, moving a hand up to cover his face. He thought _he_ had some bad lines or was just plain…weird around girls, but that took the cake. As the awkward silence stretched on, Barry locked eyes with Cadence and she looked towards the ceiling, cheeks bulging as she did her best not to crack up laughing as well.

"I'm sorry, "Cisco quickly corrected himself. "That was in appropriate."

Bette frowned and then, once again, her face softened. "It's all right, Cisco."

Cisco beamed.

Caitlin quickly got to her feet and moved towards Bette's side, whose face turned back to an undetectable expression. She moved to place her hand on the redhead's shoulder, stopping before making contact. That wasn't such a good idea. Instead, she suggested that they look Bette over and the two went into an enclosed area that was the medicine wing. Barry and Cadence stood aside and watched as Caitlin took all of the information that she could from Bette, taking as many tests as possible. As the readings came back up on the computer screens, Wells and Cisco looked them over.

"Her cellular structure is unlike anything I've ever seen," Wells murmured, watching as squiggles and blips moved across his computer screen.

"Nitrogen levels are off the charts," Cisco agreed. He let out a low whistle, gently shaking his head. "Man, just think of what Cadence's readings would look like. We could do a lot of progress with that information."

Affronted, Cadence crossed her arms. "Excuse me for being claustrophobic. If you had actually warned me about it first, I wouldn't have tried to turn it into a giant bonfire."

"In our defense we _did_ say we'd be doing a MRI and CAT scan."

"Cisco, you were able to make a suit that can withstand Barry's speed and friction, I'd think you could make some sort of MRI machine or app in that time."

Cisco started to protest against the fire metahuman, who smirked as he brought his hand to his chin and through about it. "I don't know why I didn't think of that! Putting it as an app would make it much easier to check out concussions with athletes and will be at the press of a finger, thus increasing the production of those in hospitals." He started to pat himself for his phone. "I've got to write this down."

Barry chuckled. "One test at a time, Cisco. Let's see what's up with Bette first." He let out a weary breath as he watched the woman inside the enclosed medicinal chamber. "Do you think we can help her?" Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Cadence whip her head around and look at him curiously before dropping her gaze.

"To be able to answer that question we must first know what it is that makes her tick," Harrison pointed out. "And to understand that, we have to study her in action."

"You want her to blow stuff up? Awesome!"

Cadence smiled at Cisco's enthusiasm. He reminded her of Brady in many ways, apart from the fact that if he had been as smart as Cisco was, he probably would've driven her up the wall with all of his experiment at an early age. "It gets kind of boring after the fourth or fifth time you blow something up," she said with a light shrug. "Even if it's an accident."

Turning to her with a disappointed pout, Cisco asked "really?"

Shaking her head, Cadence let out a laugh. "No! It's actually kinda cool. Let me just say that my interest in science, which dwindled exponentially in high school, had increased after the first time." She then turned to Wells. "What do you think you'll find once you test my abilities?" She asked him. "I mean, the big question here is what is it that made me become a metahuman in the first place if I wasn't affected by the particle accelerator explosion."

Wells turned to her, taking off his glasses. "Please don't underestimate yourself, Cadence. That is a _million_ dollar question."

"Yeah, and what was it that those guys that took Brady wanted?" Barry added. "It's possible that they were aware of your abilities and were using him as collateral, maybe for their own personal gain? Is it possible that he could develop powers as well?"

"I hope not," Cadence said honestly.

Wells listened to the concern of both metahumans with a thoughtful expression. "I can honestly say that I doubt it's anything like Eiling is doing to Bette, or else Cadence, more likely than not, would've been caught by now." Barry frowned. "But as it is, we _do_ need to know what it is that you're capable of, Cadence, and to see how you're helpful to our cause."

"She's already helped a lot," Barry quickly defended her. "With that electromagnetic metahuman and with the explosion the other day."

"Yes, but that was in a controlled area, we need to see what would happen if there's a chance that she would have to keep herself from being killed. It's like when you encountered Bette in the first place, or Clyde, they were doing their best to damage you."

"I wouldn't hurt Barry like that, though," Cadence protested.

"I didn't say you would, just that we need to see what would happen."

She nodded and exchanged a glance with Barry, face softening into a sympathetic glance. He returned it and glanced back into the medicinal chamber, frowning when he noticed Caitlin leaning over Bette's arm then quickly backed away. "What's going on?"

"Looks like she found something," Cadence remarked. "Maybe the bullet's still inside her? You said she was shot, right?"

Bette's voice came through the speakers attached to the chamber. "It's a tracker."

All of a sudden there was a beeping sound and Cisco pulled up video surveillance of a graying man in an elevator shaft with army men standing by him. "It's Eiling," Harrison said. He backed away from the control panel. "Get Bette out of here. I'll deal with Eiling." He waited for his colleagues to heed his orders before going to address Eiling himself.

Harrison waited patiently in his chair, listening as the footsteps neared him. Oh how he wish he could do to Eiling what he had done with Stagg. Just stand up in his chair, revel in the expression of surprise that appeared on the man's face, and stab him in the chest. Well placed so that he bled out in a matter of moment. But it wasn't the right time. It wasn't the right _space_ to reveal his secret. He kept it closely guarded, doing his best to quell the automatic impulse to leap to his feet with each moment of injustice around STAR Labs and still, he remained seated. Even with a hint of a welcoming smile on his face when Eiling met him at the main floor.

"To what do I owe this visit?" Harrison asked with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "I didn't have enough time to clean up the place. I hope the remnants of the particle accelerator explosion don't bother you."

General Eiling let out a low, mocking chuckle. "You don't have to clean up for me. I don't mind the mess." His eyes moved around the room. The main room may have been renovated, but the outside of the labs certainly didn't appear so. He knew Wells; the scientist was doing a great job at hiding all of the problems they had. "Oh how the mighty have fallen," Eiling replied. "Tell me, what does one do when he's the cause of so many deaths?"

"He evolves…adapts…becomes focused on turning around one's fortune and continuing to better himself from there." Harrison laid his hands in his lap an Eiling slowly smiled and Harrison cocked up his right eyebrow in return. The General didn't scare him one bit, he was going to stand his ground on this one; metaphorically speaking.

"You've always been an idealist, Wells," Eiling remarked. "I've always liked that about you."

Whether it was supposed to cause Harrison to put his defenses down, Wells didn't fall for it. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned towards the General, his reflection placed on the lenses of his glasses. "What do you want?"

"Where's my asset?" General Eiling demanded.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Harrison cocked his head to the side. "I have plenty of assets here. Some more valuable than others, but they're all equally an asset."

"We tracked her here, Harrison. Turn her over to me before your see the rest of your precious palace crumble."

Harrison continued to smile as he regarded Wade Eiling. Even as he spoke, a quiet, taunting "Wade, Wade, Wade" he could see that the man meant business and wouldn't be one that was gotten rid of so easily. Rather than continuing to speak, he watched as Eiling searched through the confines of STAR Labs. And even then, when he knew Eiling wouldn't find anything, he didn't move a muscle.

For if he did, it would ruin everything he was working for.

* * *

 

Cadence cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders as she waited for Bette to choose a Frisbee off of the table beside her. Her dark hair was blown back behind her ears as the wind blew around the Air Field they were practicing at. As Barry had told her, it was where STAR Labs has researched his abilities, the first time he had seen how fast he could go.

 _Fitting it'd be the place where Bette and I would be practicing,_ she thought. Placing her hands on her hips, she watched as Bette picked up a disc and threw it towards the sky. It arched upwards and around seconds before it blew up, leaving a trail of purple smoke to dissipate in its wake.

Bette turned back towards Cisco and Caitlin waiting for her results.

"427 KPAs her trilateral rating is around 45, that's like any plastique," Cisco remarked. The expression on his face suddenly turned to one of awe. "Plastique! I did it on the first try!"

"Technically you did it with Flash Fire, too," Barry remarked, tilting his head in Cadence's direction, to which the fire metahuman rolled her eyes to.

"Which I refuse to go by," she pointed out.

"It's better than Glow Stick."

Cadence shoved Barry on the arm. "Not by much," she remarked. She teleported over to the table in a puff of smoke, picked up a Frisbee, and teleported back to her original position. She turned back to Cisco and Caitlin, who had gotten their equipment set up once more. "Are you ready?" They nodded and waited for her to continue. She then addressed Barry and Bette. "You might want to stand back; it's going to get pretty hot." She threw the Frisbee as high into the air as she could then thrust her arms out. A stream of fire so hot it was white shot up towards the Frisbee.

As she lowered her arms, extinguishing the flames, drips of burning plastic fell to the ground. There was nothing left of the puddle than a few drips of molten plastic.

"Wow, thermal temperatures read at over 3000 degrees," Caitlin remarked.

"That's, like, enough to burn _anything_ ," Cisco cried. "Even _nothing_." He pressed his palms together then looked towards the sky. "Thank you for giving me _such_ a cool life!"

Cadence laughed and shook out her hands, making sure she put out the fire all the way. She had made that mistake before and wasn't going to do it again. Then, falling into step, in-between Barry and Bette, the three started off down the tarmac.

"Down range insurgence started booby trapping cars," Bette said after a few moments of the three walking in comfortable silence. "For the rest of my tour I was terrified t touch another vehicle. Now, I'm going to spend the rest of my life afraid to touch another human being."

"I know the feeling." Cadence remark caused the three to come to a stop. "When I first learned of my abilities, I couldn't control it. Nearly anything I touch burst into flames." She gave a humorless chuckle. "It got to the point where we constantly had to have fire extinguishers around just in case. I was afraid to touch another person, thinking I was going to burn them."

Bette regarded her for a long moment. "Have they tried to help you?"

Cadence looked back at her then nodded. "Yeah," she said quietly.

Then Bette looked over at Barry. "Yeah—they've helped me learn how to use my powers. Not reverse them."

"But if they _could_ ,"—Bette looked back and forth between Barry and Cadence. "Would you?"

"A friend told me I was given my speed for a reason that I was chosen. I don't know if I believe that, but…I always wanted to help people. Now I can."

"And for me," Cadence spoke up. "While I was so afraid of burning other people, I've found that if I touch someone…I can heal them." Her eyes lit up a little as she continued, speaking enthusiastically. "It helped me realize that my dream of becoming a pediatrician could really work out! I'd be able to make sure that kids are growing okay and…I'd be helping them if they ever got hurt. I don't think I'd ever give up my powers if I got the chance."

"And you can do the same thing," Barry added. "You can join us; join the team and help us out."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Turning, the three metahumans watched as Harrison, Cisco, and Caitlin walked over. Caitlin was chewing her lower lip, looking as if she were about to deliver bad news. Harrison was the one that spoke. "Dr. Snow has gotten some information back and I'm afraid that the shrapnel in your body has fused to you on a cellular level. Adding you to the team…well…it puts everyone at risk."

"From who?" Barry demanded. "Eiling?"

"Eiling is a dangerous man, Barry; we don't want him as an enemy."

"You don't want a lot of people as enemies, Wells, but it's kind of late for that, don't you think?" Cadence shot back. Wells shot her a sharp look and she returned it with one of her own. "I may be speaking out of turn here, but this isn't something that you should give up on so easily. How do we know that Bette can't help?"

"How do we know that _you_ can't help?" Harrison shot back.

Cadence faltered.

"It's okay," Bette interrupted. She had been hanging her head, listening as everyone spoke around her. "I've…dealt with this for so long on my own, I can do it again." She turned on her heel and started to leave the air field, ignoring the calls from Cisco and Barry. It wasn't until she heard the sound of electronic wheels behind her that she finally stopped. Turning, she watched as Harrison came to a stop in front of her, leaving the rest of STAR Labs behind.

The two looked at each other for a long moment before Harrison spoke.

"Change is hard," He said warmly. "The same accident that changed you changed me as well. It put me in this wheelchair." Bette opened her mouth and Harrison continued, holding up his hand to stop her. "I didn't tell you the story to garner sympathy from you, but to illustrate my point."

Now Bette regarded him suspiciously. What did this man want? He clearly had something he wanted from her. Why else would he have willingly taken her into STAR Labs, to look at her energy levels and see what she could do if there wasn't something he wanted. "What's that?"

"That I would do anything to get back what I lost." He nodded towards her. "As would you." He cleared his throat. "That being the case, I'm sure that you'd like to get back at General Eiling. He took your life from you; he took your freedom from you and will continue to attack it until you agree to work with him. He _will not_ stop until it gets to that point. And you know the only way you can do it." Harrison's blue eyes burned into hers with cold malice. "You need to kill him. You _want_ to kill him."

Bette's jaw dropped slightly.

"It's the only way…and you know it."

Turning away, Bette walked from the air field, her long hair billowing behind her as she took her long steps. Soon she was out of sight. "Where's she going?" Cisco asked, looking crushed. "We didn't get to finish everything. We still have more tests to do."

Harrison turned back to Cisco and lifted a hand; he started to say something, but dropped it once more. "I couldn't stop her," he said finally. Caitlin's eyebrows furrowed together.

"What do you mean you couldn't stop her?"

"After hearing what Eiling had done…how it was irreversible…?" Harrison trailed off, turning away as if it pained him to even think about it. The insulation was immediately realized upon the group, causing Harrison to smile to himself.

"She's going after him," Barry realized. "Maybe to turn herself in…to trick him…to get revenge? Either way, she's going to see him."

Cisco's face was suddenly filled with fury and desperation. "She—she can't do that, can she? Why would she go back and do that? We could've figured something out! It's not like this was a death sentence."

"To her, it may very well have been," Cadence pointed out.

"We don't have time, you have to stop her," Caitlin said. "You guys get going and we'll go to STAR Labs." She went over to Harrison and grabbed the handles of his wheelchair, pushing him forward, knowing that his motorized power would take too long for him to go. Cisco went back and started to pack up the STAR Labs equipment while Barry and Cadence disappeared in a gust of wind and a flash of smoke.

Bette held her chin high as she watched the army vehicles come to a stop in front of her by the water front. It had been so easy to get him to come out to meet her, a lot easier than she thought it had been. The conversation lasted only a few seconds and he had fallen into her trap. All she had to do was say she had finally stopped wanting to run away, that she had been tired and knew he was doing what was right for everyone.

 _And now he's really going to pay the price for his crimes…for what he did to me…_ Bette steeled herself, getting herself ready for the incoming confrontation. "I'm ready to give myself up," Bette called as Eiling got out of his tank.

Eiling looked at her with a glare. Then the glare faded and he gave an amused smile. "Oh, I highly doubt that." He placed his hands behind his back as the soldiers around him started to lift their guns, pointing it towards her. "Stand down soldier, you're going to come with us whether you like it or not."

"Then I'm not going without a fight!" Bette declared. She threw her hands forward and small, purple balls of explosive energy launched out of her hands and towards the army. Eiling immediately jumped back out of the way as the balls exploded, sending fire and soot in all directions. Bette threw out another barrage of explosives as the group ducked behind their jeeps. "And not before I get rid of you." Holding her hand out, she started towards Eiling, picking up speed as she went before she started running.

Cadence and Barry, suited up, arrived just in time to appear in front of Bette, stopping her from attacking Eiling further. Cadence turned towards Eiling and the army men that stood around him and focused hard on the guns that were in their hands as Barry went over to Bette. Beams of fire burst forth from her hands and landed on Eiling's gun, turning it a burning red in the process. Eiling let out a scream of fury and pain and dropped the gun onto the ground. Cadence then turned to the army men around her and lashed out her foot, catching an army man in the face before rolling into a cartwheel and striking two others before tucking herself into a somersault, rolling towards the last army man. She uncurled herself from the somersault and lifted her feet into the chin of another army man, cracking his head back and he slowly keeled over to the floor.

Cadence flipped over to Eiling and kicked him in the side for good measure.

Barry grabbed onto Bette's shoulders, who looked at him in confusion, it being the second time seeing him in his suit, before glancing over at Eiling. "What are you—?"

"This isn't what a soldier does," Barry said to her, looking her right in the eye. "It doesn't mean that you're a murderer. It doesn't mean that you come in to get revenge on all of those that wronged you. Eiling isn't your enemy, not in the way you think he is."

"You don't know what he's done!" Bette snapped.

"I know he's not someone that anyone can trust," Barry interrupted. "I know he has his reasons for you to want to inflict as much pain upon him as you can. But no one deserves to die. Not like this."

As soon as the words came from his mouth, there was a cracking sound that caused Cadence and Barry to jump. They turned to find the source of the sound, and spotted Eiling lying on the ground, now holding onto a cool gun. Turning back, the metahumans spotted Bette laying on the ground, gasping for air, a red stain blooming across her chest.

"Bette!" Barry cried, kneeling down beside her. He gently cradled her head in his hands. "You're going to be ok." Even then, he knew from seeing the pain in her eyes, seeing how shallow her breaths were coming, she wasn't going to make it. No matter how fast Cadence could heal her, the placement of the bullet was too pinpoint, hitting her directly in the heart.

 _"What happened?"_ Cisco's voice came over his earpiece. _"Is Bette okay?"_

No. Cadence lowered her head, eyes behind her goggles training on the redhead, watching as Bette's breath continued to decrease until it was almost undetectable. Then, her head turned to the side and her gaze became glassy, mouth slightly dropping open. _No._ Barry could barely get the word out of his mouth. His hands shook as he smoothed Bette's hair off her forehead, wiping away the blood from her cheek. No….he found someone else like him, someone else that could understand what he was going through…someone that he was doing his best to turn from seeing the bad side of life. He already had Cadence as someone to talk to, who understood him, but finding more metahumans…

And now she had been gunned down in cold blood.

"No!" The word came out in a cry of fury, hands shaking. He lowered his head, tears coming to his eyes. Why? Why did everyone around him have to leave him? First his mother and father and now…a bright glow drew his eyes back to Bette. Her skin started to illuminate in a light purple glow. He brought his hand up to his ear piece. "Guys, something's happening. She's glowing."

"She's gonna detonate," Cadence said. "And if she can create explosions big enough to blow a hole the size of California through an office building just by touching something, who knows what'll happen when her whole body goes up in flames."

 _"Barry, the detonation is gonna be too great for the city to handle,"_ Caitlin said voice tight with concern. _"You have to find a way to get her out of there, as far away as possible."_

"There's no time," Barry insisted, thinking of what Cadence had said. He had seen how Bette's powers worked as she had blown up his suit only seconds after touching it. If the power was gaining throughout her entire body, it wouldn't be much longer until the big bang.

Which was ironic as it was something he had studied for so long while he was in school, the creation of the universe. Now it was bound to happen in front of his eyes and wipe out half the city if they didn't make a decision in time. He glanced over the water front and the thought immediately popped into his head. The waterfront stretched as far as the city did and then some, the deepest depth at hundreds of feet. _If we can't get her away from the city in enough time, we can get her under it. _"I'll go on the water," he explained. "I can run on water, right?"

 _"Theoretically,"_ Cisco pointed out. His voice was thick with despair. _"I mean, you proved that you could make it up the side of the building."_

 _"But what if you don't get away from the blast in time?"_ Caitlin cried _._ Her voice quivered. _"If you don't outrun it…"_

 _"It's a risk they're going to have to take_ ," Harrison rationalized. _"You're going to have to go over 600 miles per hour, push yourself even harder than you've ever pushed yourself before."_

Barry nodded, mentally calculating how far he'd have to go for it to be a safe distance from the city. There wasn't enough time to figure it all out. He had the speed he needed to go, he just needed to get there. He looked over at Cadence, who had watched him throughout the exchange with STAR Labs.

"Cadence, c'mon!" Barry said.

Cadence started to shake her head, to warn him about the downside of her powers. That she could swim for only an hour at a time that she had to constantly drink water to keep hydrated as her body temperature burned through so much of it, that she could take showers for only minutes at a time. But that much water out there might hurt her more than she anticipated. But she didn't. She thought about what she could do to help, to keep the detonation from destroying the city.

She could absorb the fire energy that came from it. That'd probably cause the blast not to be as big and keep those in Central City from getting hurt by the resulting tidal wave.

"Okay," she agreed. "But you're gonna have to hold onto me, I don't think I can run on water."

Barry nodded and scooped Bette up into his arms before grabbing onto Cadence's left hand, holding it tightly in his. He took a deep breath before zooming across the surface of the water, moving at top speed. Cadence ran beside him, trying to keep up with his speed, her feet missed the steps on the water ever few minutes, but Barry moved fast enough so that she didn't completely fall over. After racing around a few buoys, Barry found he was far enough from the city and dropped Bette in the water as her whole body started to glow.

Still holding onto Cadence's hand, he moved his feet fast enough so that they didn't fall straight through the water. He started to run back, but Cadence stopped him with a hard tug at his arm then let go. She immediately fell into the water up to her neck.

"Cade, what are you doing?" Barry called, turning back to her. "We have to get out of here!"

"The resulting tidal wave, it might wreck havoc on the city, I can absorb some of it," she explained. She held out her hands and the water around her started to steam. Seeing it wasn't moving fast enough, she lowered her hands and concentrated on the water. As Barry watched, her eyes started to glow an orange-yellow and the water around her started to bubble, mixing in with the bright light that continued to glow underneath her.

Bette was about to blow and they had to get out of there.

"Cadence!" Barry shouted again.

"Just go! I can teleport if I need to!" Cadence's voice was rough with concentration. "Get out of here, Barry! I can handle this!" Barry hesitated, looking down at her and then back towards the city. "GO!" She turned and held a hand out towards him and a stream of fire shot into the water beneath his feet, sending him flying into the air. As he crashed back down towards the water, he flipped so that his feet landed on the water and he continued to run as quickly as he could.

Cadence moved both of her hands back to the water below and continued to concentrate, heating up the water around her. Electricity started to come from the fire in her hands, increasing the heat around her, and directed towards Bette. _C'mon, c'mon._ She thought. _The quicker you heat up the water, the quicker she'll_ —

All of a sudden there was a loud explosion and Cadence found a strong wave of energy move through her seconds before she was blasted through the air. Arms and leg flailing, Cadence arched through the air and crashed back towards the water below her. Barry zipped in front of her, seconds before she fell back into the water, and grabbed onto her, continuing to run out of the waterfront as a large wave of water crested behind them. Holding on around Barry's neck, Cadence glanced back towards the wave and out to the shore.

"Good timing, Barry," she said to him.

Barry managed a half smile as he continued to run, the wall of water right on his heels. Finally, as it dissipated, he made it to shore and quickly climbed out of the water, placing Cadence on the ground. He dropped to his knees, trying to catch his breath. Cadence reached over and ruffled his hair.

"Good job, Barry," she said to him, kneeling down by his side, catching her breath.

"He murdered Bette right in front of me, Cade," he reminded her. He slowly shook his head. "Just like my Mom…I don't think I'll be okay."

Cadence ran a hand through her hair, smoothing it back off her forehead as she walked into the park where a sort of winter carnival had been set up. She had to admit when Cisco first suggested that the four of them went to the carnival to blow off some steam she had thought it was a bad idea. Earlier that afternoon they had just watched someone that could've been a good friend of theirs pass away and now he wanted to hang out? In fact, she was sure he was worse off than Barry was, considering how much of a crush he had on Bette just by looking at her. But then she realized that she really did need it, time off to just get her mind off things.

They all did.

 _And all the work I did to try and get her to try things with him, too_ Cadence thought. But it hadn't worked and things still turned out the way they were. _She probably thought the same things I did, that she was too weird to be able to date someone normal. I've made that mistake before_. Pushing the thoughts out of her head, Cadence glanced around the booths that were set up, bright lights twinkling against the dark sky as she walked along the path. She had just spotted a cotton candy booth and stopped, deciding whether or not to get some before meeting up with the others. After a few minutes of silent debate, she turned to continue to find them and ran into a girl she hadn't noticed coming her way.

The bag of popcorn she was holding immediately fell to the ground, spilling out and the girl fumbled to catch her drink before it spilled as well.

"Oh, sorry," Cadence quickly apologized. "I didn't see you there." She picked up the bag of popcorn and shook it around a little, glancing into it. She frowned seeing the dirt speckled inside. "I hope you like a dusty seasoning."

"I do, actually," the girl replied, her dark brown eyes lightning up. Her golden-blonde curls bounced as she took the bag back, standing out against her dark skin. "Especially the white cheddar flavor. That's my absolute favorite! But have you tried corn on the cob butter? It's amazing!"

"Well, unless you like taste of literal dust and _aren't_ and asthmatic, I'd suggest you get a new bag," Cadence said and laughed lightly when the girl's nose wrinkled and she looked down into her bag. "Look, I'm the one that made you drop it. I can get you another one."

"That's alright! I've got some extra money. Thanks, though." The girl smiled and stepped around Cadence, hurrying over towards the booths behind her. Cadence smiled and continued on through the festival until she reached the face painting booth where she had agreed to met Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin. As she approached, she could see Barry still appeared as subdued as he did earlier in the day.

"Hey," Cadence greeted them. "What's up?" She looked over at Barry, tilting her head to eth side as she looked at him sympathetically. "How're you holding up, Bare?"

He briefly glanced at her but didn't verbally reply, choosing to shrug instead. Cisco reached out and placed a hand on Barry's shoulder, patting it. "Barry here just needs a good dose of carnival food, drinks, and puking. So I propose that we get the fast rides out of the way first and then pig out on junk food."

"Not me," Caitlin said, holding up her hands. "I hate roller coasters and fast rides. I think I'll just hang out at the booths. After what happened today, I could use a stiff drink." She smiled a little, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, you're not the only one," Barry agreed, speaking for the first time. "Which is great because I can't get drunk!"

"Do you want to say that any louder?" Cadence suggested, raising her eyebrows. "I don't think they heard you past Pluto." She then paused. "Look, I get it. When it comes to things like this, you're going to find that sooner or later you're going to lose people. Not necessarily in death, but because they can't handle the stress of keeping the secret, they start to act like you're a side-show more than anything else." She reached out, grabbing onto his wrist. "But for right now, try to take your mind off it."

"And nothing says 'empty headed' more than getting your brain slammed around," Cisco said. He rubbed his hands together gleefully, although the light didn't nearly reach his eyes. It was clear that he was just trying to curb his unhappiness as well. "So who's up for some fast rides? I'm ready to have my brain scrambled by the time the night's done."

"Not me," Caitlin said.

"Me neither," Cadence agreed. "I want to see if I can get some prizes. Brade was really upset that he couldn't come tonight and the last thing I need is for him to continue complaining when I come home with nothing." She motioned to Caitlin. "We'll just hang out around the games for a while and then meet up with you guys to get something to eat. Alright?"

"No problem," Cisco agreed.

"Whatever," Barry mumbled.

"C'mon man." Cisco patted Barry on the back. "Let's go see what we sort of trouble we can get into." He gave a short wave to the girls. "We'll catch you later."

"Bye." Caitlin waved back before crossing her arms over her chest, turning to the fire metahuman that stood beside her. "I really feel bad for them," she said. "I mean, Barry's already gone through so much with his parents and Cisco…he really liked her."

"I could tell," Cadence agreed. "You threatened to give him a lobotomy just because he flirted with her." She cast Caitlin a critical glance as the two started to walk down the row of booths one more. "Either that or you're just overprotective of him."

"Cisco's the youngest one out of all of us and I don't want him to feel left out. He's been my friend forever and I don't want to see him get hurt by anyone else." Caitlin looked at Cadence before lowering her voice. "I mean, there were always these really pretty scientists around, back when STAR Labs was still in production. But they were always so much older than him that he kept getting turned down. And it was really hard to see him constantly get turned down. I was just trying to keep him from getting hurt again."

"Oh, I getcha," Cadence agreed. "And then when she went boom…" she trailed off with a nod. "Well, it was a nice thing to do. He'll be fine. Like I said with Barry, this sort of thing will become common place, unfortunately."

"Thus my needing for a good drink," Caitlin agreed. She looked through the booths that the two passed before jumping as Cadence let out a loud squeal and started to violently slap the bioengineer's arm. "Ow! I bruise easily, you know!"

"Oh my God! It's a Moon Bounce!" Cadence shouted, pointing down the rows of booths. He then grabbed onto Caitlin's wrist and started to drag her, half running, over towards the inflatable object. "I haven't been on one of these since I was a kid! C'mon Caitlin, your heels are slowing us down! You know you really have to put a rest to those things."

"Well, excuse me for wanting to appear put together at all times of the day."

"No, I get that, but you can change it up a little. I mean those long skirts of yours are doing nothing to show off your legs. And don't get me started on those long-sleeved blouses." Cadence and Caitlin arrived at the moon bounce and the shorter woman quickly pulled off her shoes and socks. "Well c'mon! You can't bounce in those heels. You'll pop it!"

Caitlin regarded her, laughing lightly. "Wow. You really love this thing don't you?"

"It's, like, the best thing ever invented." Cadence crossed her arms and impatiently waited for Caitlin to pull off her heels. "C'mon, c'mon!"

"Wow, I bet you're a really great date," Caitlin remarked. "You don't deem to say 'no' to anything."

"I'll ignore the fact that you basically just called me a slut, to say I don't date." Cadence's voice turned flat. "I don't really see the point; I have too much stuff to do." She grabbed onto Caitlin's hand once more. "Like jump on a moon bounce!" She dragged Caitlin past the line of little kids, ignoring their sounds of protest, and climbed onto the moon bounce with the bioengineer behind her. Once inside, Cadence immediately let go of Caitlin's hand and started to jump up and down.

She did a few spins and a quick flip before realizing Caitlin wasn't moving. "Uh, I know you're, like, super smart, but the point of this is to jump up and down, not sit in one place like a bump on a log."

"I can't jump in a skirt like this," Caitlin protested. She was bending at the knees, trying to hold her skirt down as Cadence jumped around her. "I don't want to flash everyone."

"You should've thought of that before wearing a skirt to a carnival." Cadence continued to jump in a circle around Caitlin, almost taunting her. "C'mon, all of us are trying to take our minds off of what happened. I think you can stop being such a stick in the mud for one night."

Caitlin's mouth dropped open in indignation. "I'm _not_ a stick in the mud."

"So prove it."

Scowling, Caitlin reached up into her hair and found the bobby pin she had placed to hold her tresses back. Pulling it out, she pressed her skirt together between her legs and rolled it up so that it resembled shorts, then slid the bobby pin on to keep it in place. Now wearing a makeshift pair of shorts, Caitlin started to jump around the moon bounce with her friend.

Within moments the two were laughing breathlessly as the continued to jump around.

* * *

 

Lucas flicked a lit cigarette out of his mouth and into the murky water below as the boat slowed to a stop. He turned to Breathtaker, who stood beside him, staring ahead at the skyline of Central City. "This is it," he said. "These are the exact coordinates that Cadence gave us."

"Excellent." Breathtaker finally turned from the skyline and looked down at the water. "You better get to work. This will take some time and we don't have a lot of it."

Nodding, Lucas held up his hands and a fog immediately blew over the water, blocking them and their boat from the view of the shore. Once he was sure the fog was thick enough, Lucas stretched out his arms and held it over the water that lapped up against the boat. A strong wind started to blow, parting the water below the boat. As the seconds passed, the wind increased in strength and the water continued to part, waves increasing in size. Lucas and Breathtaker continued to watch for a few moments before Lucas noticed a figure down at the bottom and nodded.

"There." He turned his right hand so the palm was up and slowly lifted it over his head. The figure slowly lifted until it arrived at the surface of the water. Breathtaker reached out and pulled Bette into the boat and Lucas replaced the water.

Breathtaker stood over Bette and tilted his head to the side, eyes glowing from underneath his hood. He held out a hand and as the seconds passed, color appeared back in Bette's face and her eyes fluttered open. Lowering his hand, Breathtaker looked down at the explosive metahuman.

"Now that you've finished your task, it's time that you help us."iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii


	14. Out of Control

**.:14:.**

**Out of Control**

* * *

 

Oliver Queen frowned as he watched John Diggle pace back and forth on the floor of the Arrow Cave—which Oliver still refused to refer to it as—a cell phone plastered to his ear. As the seconds ticked by, he turned and exchanged a glance with Felicity Smoak, who appeared just as concerned as he did.

When the two turned back to Diggle, he lowered his phone from his ear and turned back to Oliver and Felicity. He paused for a moment before crossing his arms. "I'm not entirely sure how accurate the information I got is, but from what I can understand, the Suicide Squad appears to have started up with a new plan of attack."

Oliver sucked in a deep breath, the stoic expression never leaving his face. He should've seen this coming in many aspects. Just because the Suicide Squad hadn't had made any movements in the past couple of months didn't mean they had completely given up. He actually sort of hated himself for having put them on the back burner. "What sort of plan? And why would they suddenly want to come out and attack now? What could they be gaining from it?"

Diggle shrugged before crossing his arms. "My sources say that there may be some people they're working with, that we haven't ever come across before."

"In Starling City?" Felicity sat up straight, the lenses of her glasses illuminated by the computer screens in front of her. "I thought by now that the Suicide Squad had been disbanded. Not to say that people can't come back, I mean the Backstreet Boys have managed to do it along with other bands that should've stayed in obscurity, if you asked me. But these are criminals we're talking about."

Oliver, who had blinked rapidly as he listened to Felicity's analysis of boy bands in comparison to murderers and criminals, gently shook his head before turning back to Diggle. "With these guys, who knows what sort of wide scale attack it can do on Starling City."

"Not Starling City," Diggle contradicted. He took a deep breath and looked back and forth between Oliver and Felicity. "Central City."

"Central City?"

Felicity perked up at the name of the city that sat a mere six hundred miles away from Starling City, sharing the prison of Iron Heights. At first she thought of Barry Allen, the assistant forensic scientist that she had become friends with and how good it would be to see him again—something that Oliver seemed to notice it as his face darkened slightly—seconds before the words suddenly hit her full force. There was going to be a faction of criminals, those that were deadly and had agreed to put themselves into black ops and secret missions in return for lessened sentences on their incarceration.

Oliver brought a hand up and ran it over his mouth and chin, gently rubbing his stubble. A million thoughts raced through his mind, many of which pertaining to the curious thoughts of what the Suicide Squad would want in Central City and if Barry knew about it. The speedster had really only started to come in on his own to his powers, he probably wouldn't be able to handle things himself if they got too bad.

"Someone get into contact with Roy and let him know that he's going to need to pack a bag," Oliver declared. "We're going to Central City."

* * *

 

Barry let out a sigh as he stretched his legs in front of him, trying to come up with a good excuse that would get him out of the aerobics room sooner rather than later. And in enough time that Iris would forget that he had even agreed to go to Zumba class with her and Eddie. Despite how much Barry didn't like the young detective, though most of it really was because of his being with Iris, at least he wasn't alone in not wanting to be there.

When Barry had arrived with a sheepish smile and a short wave to the two, Eddie had looked at him from over Iris's head and slightly widened his eyes. He mouthed the word 'no' while waving his hands back and forth, though Iris missed it all, having brightened when she spotted Barry walking into the dance studio in a loose red t-shirt and gray sweatpants.

"Barry, you made it!" Iris cried, bouncing on her toes before going over to hug her best friend. "I thought I was going to have to keep begging you to show." With her arms still wrapped around the speedy metahuman, she tilted her head back and beamed up at him. "You're not going to regret this, it's going to be so much fun!"

"Right, fun," Barry agreed, though not as enthusiastically as Iris had. The young woman finally let go of Barry and turned back to Eddie, who maneuvered his waving hands to behind him, pretending to stretch his arms. He flashed his girlfriend a smile as she moved by him to move her towel and bags out of the way, then turned back to Barry, his smile dropping. Barry glanced at his face for a moment before his shoulders slumped. "Is it really going to be that bad?"

"You have no idea," Eddie replied. He motioned to himself. "I'm in pretty good shape, but even this kicks my ass." He looked Barry up and down, taking in the lanky boy's physique. "I know that you're not particularly _un_ atheltic, but this may be a bit difficult for you."

"Oh stop." Iris swatted Eddie on the shoulder. "He can do this, I know he can. He used be in all of the plays and musicals at school, he can dance."

Barry modestly kicked at the ground as Eddie turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know about that. I mean, I think I'm pretty _decent._ " Eddie continued to stare at him in surprise and Barry shrugged again. "We'll see." Now he was a bit irritated by the way Eddie was staring at him. _I'm sure that's the same look I'd get if I told them I was the Flash,_ Barry thought, hiding a smile. _They certainly wouldn't believe Barry Allen would be the one that's trying to save the city._ His eyes shifted over to Iris, watching her as she bent forward to stretch her legs, checking her out as she grabbed her ankles and leaned over even further. He watched her until she straightened herself and lowered his gaze, moving to take his place on the floor.

At the sound of the door closing, Barry looked over as Cadence walked into the room, dropping her gym bag on the floor. She went to the tiny platform that stood at the front of the room and turned to face the class. She started, giving Barry and odd look as their eyes met, wondering why he was there. He looked back at her and shrugged before smirking a little, silently reminding her it was her fault in the first place that he was attending. Then Cadence smirked; good luck.

Barry smiled to himself. Since Bette's death, he had made a point to be sure that everyone in his life knew how important they were. And considering he had only just met Cadence, he made it a pint to her to know her a bit more. So while the two worked on their physical ability, got checked out by Caitlin, worked with Cisco to save people from the city, and trained with Wells on mastering the capacity of their abilities, he found that she really did understand a lot about him. She had a sense about her that caused her to be very mature, but she also had a side of her that showed how outgoing she was and how she just looked for fun out of life. Her being a metahuman just made it easier for their friendship to grow, despite there being some things he knew she was still keeping back.

There was still plenty of time for that.

Cadence addressed the class, speaking loudly, "Alright guys, who's ready to get started?" She called and smiled at the cheers that she got in response. "That's good to hear. We have some new faces in here today." Barry narrowed his eyes as Cadence pointed to him, eyes flashing with amusement. "One being my friend Barry Allen. This is his first class with us and I _hope_ he comes back after today."

Barry nodded and smiled as the class around him clapped for him. Iris reached over and grabbed onto his wrist and he felt butterflies erupt in his stomach at her encouraging smile. He couldn't help but smile back. It was the first time in a while he had been able to hang out with her, despite Eddie being around. Ever since he had come out of his coma and had become the Flash, as she still dealt with classes and her blog, and her relationship with Eddie, the two hadn't had any time to spend together. He really missed it and while he hated having to keep the secret of the Flash and STAR Labs away from her, he knew it was for the best.

He just hoped that Eddie wouldn't notice him staring at her, in her workout clothes of a tight tank-top and yoga pants. He was a guy, he couldn't help it, and this was the girl he had secretly admired for years. If there was one good thing that was going to come from the class that day, it was being able to watch Iris in her element. She loved to dance as much as he did, though had never been a part of the musicals and plays in school, rather being on the dance team. And while Barry didn't find watching the Central City High school basketball team to be something he particularly liked to do on Friday nights—they weren't really that good—he went to support Iris and her dance team, a place where she really shined.

 _Now she's shining on her blog, threatening herself and everyone around her,_ Barry reminded himself. He shook the thought out of his head as Cadence's voice caught his attention once more.

"Alright, so today we're going to be doing something a little different and we're going to be doing some salsa work. Now I know that most salsa dances are done in couples, but this is all about you and being in tune with your body. So follow me, doing the opposite of what I am because I'll be facing you, and let's have a good time, alright?"

She led the group in another round of applause before reaching over and playing the music from the boom box connected to her phone that rested by her feet. Upbeat Spanish music came out from the speakers and Cadence bounced back to her spot in the front of the room as the music started.

She counted them off and then started the routine out slow so that the members of the class could catch on and then started the song again before launching into the steps at the faster pace. Barry went along with the moves, a bit awkward at first, as he was used to musical theatre the dances moves he had becomes used to were more straightforward and these moves consisted more of moving his hips and utilizing his stomach muscles along with the quick movements of his arms and feet. But as the music went on, he found himself enjoying the dance, a smile on his face that continued to bloom until he was beaming.

Thanks to his enhanced abilities, he managed to get through the first couple of songs without growing fatigued or needing to take a break. Iris, he had noticed, seemed to fall into the steps gracefully as well, appearing to have the time of her life. And he couldn't help but watch her as he continued to half focus on his steps—thank God for Wells teaching him to practice his brain muscles and utilize his multi-tasking ability. He was entranced by the way Iris danced, not so much that the moves were perfect, but that she was still confident in the way she moved along with the beat. Even falling out of steps a few times, she would make up for it with a spin or hair flip of her own that made it appear that she was doing everything right.

Then Barry looked over at Iris and couldn't help but smile when he saw that the detective was having some trouble dancing. The man was the youngest detective in the CCPD, made a name for himself in the way he did his job, managed to snag the only girl Barry had ever loved, and was attractive to the point that nearly every girl that crossed his path fell for him, and the one thing he couldn't do was keep time with music.

The vision alone made him smile wider than he had in the past couple of weeks. Catching Iris's eyes on a turn, Barry found himself working harder as Cadence continued to call out the dance moves. The fire metahuman enthusiastically led the class through the movements with as much energy as he had seen her exhibit before. It didn't even match when he and Cisco had met up with her and Caitlin for some food at the carnival and she was practically bouncing off the walls, not having had an ounce of sugar.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Cisco asked, giving her a funny look. "You're not going to blackout or anything are you?"

Cadence merely shook her head as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "No," she said honestly. "I just like to have fun."

"Well, does your definition of fun include shooting water in the mouth of a clown?" Cisco asked. "Because Barry here says he's the best at it." He motioned over to the brunette that stood by his side, shrugging modestly.

"I've been known to burst a few clown balloons in my day," he said. "I've been the reigning champ for the past five years."

"Well, you just met your match," Caitlin declared. "Because I haven't lost either."

Cisco pointed over to his friend. "She really hasn't. And she gets _very_ competitive at this game." He then rubbed his hands together, gleefully looking back and forth from Caitlin to Barry. "This is going to be the battle to end all battles."

And the four had gone to the game and played and played…and played and played as Barry and Caitlin wouldn't allow the other person to win as the scores continued to go back and forth. Eventually Cisco and Cadence had to pull the two away from the game as little kids, who had been waiting to play, started to cry when they wouldn't give up their seats. But the mission had been accomplished and Barry had eventually gotten his mind off of Bette and what happened to her. It had been weeks since then and he didn't think of it as much, finding, when he did, he didn't become as depressed.

Now Barry found himself, once again, forgetting about everything that had been a problem to him as he continued to dance around the studio. Finally, the hour and a half class ended and Barry clapped along with the class as Cadence turned off the music and bowed.

"Thanks for a great class, guys," Cadence said loudly. "I'll see you next time!" She waved before jumping off the platform and going over to her bag, to retrieve her towel.

Barry turned to go to his bag then stopped, blinking rapidly. Iris and Eddie stood directly behind him; arms crossed and looked at him with varying degrees of amazement. As Barry watched them, the two looked at each other and then back at Barry, who was starting to become uncomfortable under their intense gaze. "What?"

"I knew you were good, Bare, but I didn't know you were _that_ good," Iris said. She swatted him on the shoulder once more, which Barry realized she was starting to become good at. "Musical theatre be damned, you should become a professional dancer."

"Oh please." Barry rolled his eyes. "You know my first love is forensics." _Okay, maybe not, but it's not like this would be the best time to tell you._ Barry glanced at Eddie, who slowly shook his head before reaching out and patting Barry on the shoulder.

"I have to admit, Allen, I had my doubts, but that was amazing," Eddie said. He gripped Barry's shoulder and shook him. "The fanciest footwork I've ever seen. You'll definitely be finding yourself a girlfriend soon with those moves."

Tilting his head to the side, Barry rubbed his neck, not used to the constant attention being put on him. Even after he had come out of the coma he did his best to downplay all of the shocked attention he received. But for this…something he hadn't ever given a lot of serious thought about, all because he had to use it as a cover as to how he was getting into the shape the lightning had given him.

"I'm not _that_ good."

"I beg to differ," Cadence said sauntering over to the group as the class left the room.

She tilted her head to the side, mimicking Barry's movements as she looked up at him. His eyes shifted to her cheek, where he spotted a scar resting from her lower jaw up to her cheek. He hadn't noticed it before because her hair was always loose, but now it was visible as it was pulled back into a ponytail. He made a mental note to ask her about it.

"So why didn't you tell me?" Cadence asked.

"Tell you that I could dance? It's not something"

"That you can move your hips like Shakira?" The short brunette smiled as Iris and Eddie laughed. "So you were a musical theater guy in high school. I can see that."

"What about you?"

"Soccer player, swimmer…cheerleader."

"You were a cheerleader?" Iris asked. Beside her, Eddie nodded as if he could picture it. "That explains it."

"Yeah, but I'm not as good as Barry. Seriously, you should think about coming to class more often. You really have a talent for it." She then looked over at Eddie and smiled sympathetically. "You did a good job, too, Eddie. You're really starting to get the hang of it."

"Thanks, but I think I'll stick with slow dancing whenever I actually have to do it," Eddie remarked. He put his arm around Iris and pulled her into his side. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, like she had done with Barry before, resting her cheek on his chest. "But I'm glad you came over here, Cadence, I was hoping that I could get you to come down to the station to answer some more questions about what happened with Brady."

Iris now swatted Eddie on the chest, causing Barry to smirk, and looked up at him. "Eddie! It can wait."

"It's alright," Cadence said, keeping her eyes on Eddie. "Detective Pretty-Boy, I mean Thawne, just wants to make sure all of his bases are covered." She crossed her arms. "What do you want to know?"

The corner of Eddie's mouth lifted up into a smile. "Pretty Boy, huh?" His eyebrow twitched upwards as his smile widened.

"I'm sorry, but you have some _really_ long eye lashes," she said bluntly. "I mean it makes your eyes stand out, which are an amazing shade of blue by the way, but it can't be helped but noticed. It seems to be something you're trying to overcompensate for."

Now Eddie shifted uncomfortably as Barry tried to quell his laughter but failed. Iris glowered at him as he continued his futile attempts to calm down. "I…I don't have anything I'm trying to compensate for." He cleared his throat. He opened his mouth to continue, suddenly steeling himself up, but Iris now removed her arms from her boyfriend and moved in front of him.

"Okay, I think we're all just a little tired here," she said. She cast a quick glance up at Eddie before turning to Cadence with a bright smile. "Anyway, I really enjoyed your class. Maybe next time we can get something to drink after," she suggested. "Maybe talk over these guys' egos a bit," she added with a light laugh.

Cadence smiled and nodded. "I'd like that. I'll get back to you. Right now I need to clean up a bit so the next person to use this room doesn't complain again." She stepped back away from the threesome and went around the room, picking up discarded paper cups and towels that had been left behind.

"What about you, Barry? Do you want to get some coffee with us?" Iris asked, turning to her best friend.

"I'd like to, but Joe and I have some stuff that we need to get done before going into work so…" Barry trailed off, keeping his eyes away from Eddie. The last thing he needed was for Joe's partner to demand what he was being kept out of and trying to figure out some sort of an excuse that would keep him clear from the news of metahumans he needed to explain. "I guess I'll see you two later."

"Alright." Iris didn't appear bothered by him turning down the plans and took the bag that Eddie handed to her. "It'll give me time to take a _long_ and much needed shower before going to class and work." She rolled her eyes. "Why do they think that having three hour long classes in the morning is a good idea? Aren't grad classes supposed to be at night?"

"We'll talk about your vendetta against school class policies on the way back to the apartment," Eddie said to her, putting his arm around her shoulder. "I'll see you at work, Allen." Barry nodded before turning and watching the two leave the dance studio.

Barry then turned to Cadence, who had finally cleared the room and had picked up the keys to the room to return them to the front desk. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Cadence flipped her hair out of her face, widening her eyes innocently. "Oh, you mean Detective Pretty Boy trying to butt into my business? Yeah, I really didn't want to get back into what happened with Brady. I figured he wouldn't notice if I changed the subject."

Then Barry understood. "Changing it to one of his insecurities so that he wouldn't realize you were trying to keep the conversation off you." Cadence nodded. "That's really clever actually, and I'm surprised you managed to pick that up."

"I figured, from having had a few run-ins with CCPD as of late, that considering how young he is he's constantly proving himself as he went up the ranks to become a detective. Must not have been easy." She gave him a pointed look and Barry grimaced, thinking about how Captain Singh always seemed to jump on him whenever he was around. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder before motioning for Barry to follow her out of the room. "Unfortunately his asking about him has put me in a very bad mood."

"Really? I didn't notice considering you seemed to be so into his _amazing_ blue eyes and everything." Barry rolled his eyes as Cadence closed the door behind them and the two headed down the hallway. He let out a light laugh. "I can't believe every girl falls for someone like that. I can't believe _you_ fell for someone like that."

Cadence could've easily defended herself and denied the accusation, but turned the tables around on Barry, lightly shaking her head. "Sorry, but I think I detect a bit of jealousy."

"I'm not jealous," Barry quickly defended himself.

"Then what would you call it?" Stopping at the front desk, Cadence handed the keys over to the receptionist before turning to face Barry, smirking at him. "Your eyes aren't green for nothing." Playfully, she reached out and tapped the tip of his nose, causing him to laugh, brushing her hand away. "I totally get it, Barry," she continued. "Wanting to be with someone that only sees you as a friend, hoping they'd realize that you're different, better for them. You want them to understand that _because_ they're your friend for so long, you understand everything about them and still have those feelings despite seeing them at their worst. All you want is that one chance to prove that everything you feel for them doesn't go to waste."

Barry listened quietly.

That was exactly how he felt whenever he was around Iris. And as the days went on, he found it harder and harder to keep himself from saying something. Each time she gushed about another Flash sighting, or talked about how amazing it was that he had managed to save someone with little to no effort, all Barry wanted to do was jump up and wave his arms yelling "that's me! I'm the Flash!" He had never kept so many secrets from her before, but Joe had made him promise not to say anything. And as much as it hurt, knowing she would accept him and what he was doing the second he said something…he couldn't.

She couldn't get hurt, not because of him. Too many people he loved have been taken. And what if she _didn't_ take the news well? What if his lying to her was that final wedge that would drive them apart forever? She already thought he was gone when he was in the coma and now he was back a different person, but not the same person he was before the explosion. Maybe the new Barry would alienate her too much.

 _Just like everything 'normal' isn't as interesting anymore,_ he realized. The days of going to the mall, the movies, the museum didn't entertain him as much as running around and putting out fires and saving people did. It was his duty, something he now lived for. Maybe she noticed that difference, too. "Did that happen to you?"

Eyes shifting, Cadence pushed herself off of the counter. "Something like that."

"Mom!"

Turning at the sound of the cry, Barry watched, eyes widening as he spotted his mother standing down the hallway, arms wide open. They widened even further when he saw an image of his young self running down the hallway and grabbing his mother around the waist. How old was he there? Probably eight or nine, considering the bad haircut he had in the third grade. And still, as he watched himself hug his mother he felt himself slowly moving towards the two of them. His footsteps moved slowly along the ground as he walked towards her.

And as he approached, Nora lifted her head and smiled warmly, holding out a hand towards Barry. Barry slowly reached out his hand, daring his fingertips to touch her. Maybe…maybe if he could touch her hand, he would see that it was just a dream. That…that she wasn't really there. But his fingertips touched hers and he gasped when he felt her hand enclose around his.

Her hand was warm.

She was there.

She was _really_ there.

Looking down Barry noticed his younger self looking up at him with a big smile. Then he turned back to Nora and she reached out, cupping his face. "Barry," she said to him. "My sweet little boy."

"Barry? Are you okay?"

Jerking backwards, Barry took in his surroundings, suddenly feeling disoriented. There he was, standing in the hallway that led to the locker rooms of the fitness center. Turning around, he spotted Cadence looking at him in concern. "Uh. Yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, I just thought I saw someone I knew. That would've been really awkward, right?" He gave a fleeting laugh before shoving his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. "I'll see you later."

He gave her another nod as he walked by his friend and out the door. Glancing both ways up the street, Barry made sure the coast was clear then raced back to his apartment. As soon as he arrived he kicked off his shoes and staggered to his bed, where he fell into a deep, restless, sleep.

* * *

 

Cadence pushed open the door to the fitness center and had only made it to the end of the block when someone stepped out in front of her. The fire metahuman stumbled back and then looked up at the woman a few years her senior, eyebrows rising.

"Leah," she said, taking in the black and white Mohawk resting atop her friend's head. "I didn't think I'd see you here so soon." She lowered her voice. "Breathtaker and Lucas said you were coming, but that you had some other things to work on. Is Mitchell with you, too?"

"Incognito got held up," Leah replied calmly. Her blue eyes flashed as they bored into Cadence's. "But that's not why I'm here. I rendezvoused with Breathtaker earlier today and he got me caught up on everything. So tell me." Her eyes shone a bright blue as they continued to bore into Cadence's. "How are things going with Barry? Have you figured out anything we can use?"

Cadence looked back at her for a long moment before replying, "He has a strong sense of justice and will do anything to help those that are in trouble. In many ways, that can be one of his weaknesses. He's also especially close to Iris West. That would be his best target to go after, to get to him, when the time comes."

"You certainly have been doing a lot of work," Leah continued. "Definitely a great addition to the team." She placed her hand on Cadence's shoulder and held it there for a few moments. "I'm glad I managed to talk the other guys into letting you join. The money doesn't hurt either, does it?"

Cadence gently shook her head, bringing her hand up to her forehead. "Was there something else you needed? Or was that all? I have some things I need to do."

"No, that's it," Leah said calmly. She examined her nails, suddenly bored by the conversation. "But if you don't mind I'll tell Breathtaker and Stratos what you had to say if that's alright. It'll give you more time to keep watching them, making sure that things are safe for the rest of us." At Cadence's nod, Leah stepped around her and sauntered down the street.

Cadence looked at her watch and shifted around the corner before teleporting to the door of her apartment. She unlocked it and went inside, finding Brady sitting on the couch, watching TV. He looked up as his mother entered the apartment and waved to her. Cadence smiled at him. "Hey bud," she greeted him. "What's up?" She crossed the room and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Did anyone come to the door?"

"No," Brady said dutifully.

"Did anyone call?"

"My teacher did to remind you of the parent teacher conference this afternoon," Brady said. He reached over and picked up a piece of paper from the table that sat beside him. Handing it over to his mother, he continued, "it's at three. I said you were in the shower."

"I remember," Cadence said. She took the piece of paper form him before ruffling his hair. "I just have some stuff I need to do before we go over." Brady nodded then chewed his lower lip, fumbling with the remote in his hands. Her eyes narrowed. "What's wrong, buddy? The only times you're this quiet if when I'm trying to get you to eat broccoli."

"Are you ashamed of me?"

Brady's sudden question caused Cadence to look up at him sharply. She let out a startled laugh before calming herself. "No! Why would you think that?"

"Because you won't let me meet any of your friends," Brady said in the same, subdued tone. "Ever. If anyone comes around I'm sent out of the room. We don't ever see Grandma and Grandpa. And…you won't let me call you Mom."

Cadence closed her eyes, lowering her head as she thought of the best way to explain it. But how could she tell an eight year old boy that not everyone in the world spoke highly of a sixteen year old mother. How could she tell him that she had been bullied, teased mercilessly, out casted, and left alone to raise him herself? How could she tell him her parents had kicked her out of the house after he was born, all because they were too ashamed of their only daughter having become pregnant?

_"God, she's such a whore."_

_"I can't believe she gave it up so easily."_

_"Do you think he's gonna stick around?"_

_"No, not with a slut like that."_

Shaking her head, Cadence tried to expel the things that had continued to haunt her ever since she first heard them. The things she continued to hear whenever she and Brady were out walking on the streets. How could she go from a ton of friends to no friends and by herself all over the course of one night? Just because she and her boyfriend, whom she had loved at the time, had decided to have sex. High schoolers, she had learned quickly, could be so fickle about that sort of thing. It disgusted her to a point but it wasn't something she had thought about too much at the time. Giving it thought now was when it made her angry.

"I explained it to you before, Brade, not many people…agree with the life we live," she said delicately. It had been the same excuse she'd used many times before, but she could see from the way his pout deepened that he still didn't understand. "They don't understand the choices I've made."

"So that _does_ mean you're ashamed of me," he murmured. "That I was a mistake."

Now Cadence placed her hands on her hips. "When have I ever told you that you're a mistake?"

"You didn't have to." He tried to lower his head to avoid her gaze, but Cadence knew him well enough to know when he was hiding something. Gently grabbing his chin, she tilted his head back and her face softened when she spotted the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Braden Nash, did someone tell you these things?" She demanded, anger surging through her body in hot flashes. "Did someone say that you were just a mistake and that I don't want you around? It's alright, sweetie, you can tell me."

Brady brought up his hands and wiped at his eyes. "Some kids in my class say it was mistake for you to have had me. That I should've just been put up for adoption or that you shouldn't have been stupid enough to get pregnant in the first place."

"What else do they say?" Cadence then paused, realizing she didn't want to hear exactly what they had to say. "Some of the bad words I told you not to use?" She sighed when Brady nodded and sat down next to him. She reached out and pulled her into his arms, rubbing circles on his back. "If I thought you were a mistake, then I wouldn't have decided to raise you. I loved you the moment you were growing in my belly and knew it wasn't a mistake that it happened.

She then cupped her hands around his face and looked down at him, eyes narrowing into a glare that barely concealed her anger. Her hands shook around Brady's cheeks, a dull glow appearing at her wrists. But she kept her composure, knowing if she lost control she would burn him quicker than she could stop herself. "Now you listen to me. There are going to be a lot of times where people tell you things based on rumor and what their parents have to say. Kids are like parrots that way. They don't know what they're talking about and when they do form their own opinions, some may still think the way they do now. I want you to be your own person. I don't ever want you to give in to peer pressure or what other people think. And I'm giving you permission now that if someone bullies you or pushes you around or hits you, that you can hit them back just as hard and I won't get mad.

"What you need to remember is that I love you, I never thought you were a mistake, I never regretted becoming pregnant with you. Ever. No matter when I became pregnant, I'd love you just as much as I already do."

"Really?" Tilting his head back, Brady looked up at his mother, eyes wide and brimming with tears that threatened to fall. Cadence smiled and brushed them away.

"Really." She then let out a mock-disappointed sigh. "Besides, if that were the case, I would've gotten rid of you ages ago." Brady let out a sound of annoyance before turning and pressing his fingertips into his mother's side, tickling her. "Stop! You know I hate it when you do that."

"That's just because you're so ticklish," Brady replied. He stuck his tongue out before leaning back and smiling up at his mother. "So what are you going to say to my teacher at the conference?"

"Nothing she doesn't already know. Besides, she's supposed to be telling _me_ about _you_ remember?" She thought for a moment. "Tell you what. After the meeting, why don't we stop at Big Belly Burger for some lunch and then I'll take you to STAR Labs so you can meet everyone else? How does that sound?"

"Awesome!" Brady declared.

"Cool." Cadence lifted her hand and Brady gave her an enthusiastic high-five. "Now, I'm going to take a shower for real." She ignored Brad's comment that she stank and pointed at him. "I know you have the day off, but you still have to do your homework."

The teasing smile fell from Brady's face in seconds, causing Cadence to laugh.

* * *

 

"Gideon, take note." Harrison's blue eyes stared straight ahead at the large sheet of paper that was projected onto the spotted wall in front of him. "Considering my documentation on Cadence Nash I have come to the realization that if she is as strong as we think she is, as we _know_ she is, we need to keep an eye on her at all times. Not only is it that there may be more metahumans out there than we're conscious of, but her association to this Michael Bloom fellow is a sure indication…that there may be others that want her powers for their use."

Harrison slowly moved his hands to his hips, firmly pressing his fingertips into his waist. "Newsprint from the future doesn't seem to indicate that she has the matching sort of future that Barry Allen brings about, though she is still beneficial to Barry's development. Still what I know of her that the others don't, things that can't be exposed until the time is right, such as my preparation throughout the upbringing of Barry Allen, so to speak, shall remain to stand the test of time." He looked at his watch. "That'll be all."

"Yes, Harrison."

Harrison stepped back from his futuristic computer as Gideon's face disappeared. He walked out of the concealed room and sat down in his wheelchair that had been parked outside it. He sat down and maneuvered the wheelchair around and drove it back towards the main floor of STAR Labs. Caitlin and Cisco sat at their desks, looking over the computer monitors.

Immediately noticing the pair of headphones that trailed from their ears, he spoke. "I hope that what you're listening to is highly educational."

"Shh." Cisco moved a finger to his mouth. "I'm watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion show."

Raising an eyebrow, Caitlin turned towards her brother-like friend. "How's that educational?"

"In case I ever get a girlfriend, I know what body type would make the different kinds of underwear look best," Cisco uttered, voice low as he continued to stare at his computer screen with unblinking eyes. "I mean, I don't want to offend her with the wrong choice, do I?"

Caitlin rolled her eyes, pulling her headphones from her ears, strains of light, classical music sounding from the tiny speakers. "I'm marginalizing the different cells from Barry's and Cadence's bodies to see what cells it is that caused Cadence to develop her powers and Barry to gain his." She shrugged. "I just thought I'd listen to some light music while I worked."

"I applaud your enthusiasm," Harrison remarked with a smirk. "For both of you." He situated his wheelchair over to his computer and with a few taps against the screen; his touch immediately recognized from the computer, he shared the Caitlin's computer desktop. "May I also note that you have a...very interesting taste in music, Miss. Snow. Not many women your age would be listening to Mozart."

"Only when she works Dr. Wells," Cisco said with a light laugh. "When she's working out or doing anything else, she's totally a Katy Perry girl." He leaned out of the way as Caitlin turned to punch him on the arm. "What? Everyone has their guilty pleasures."

"Like yours and Lady Gaga?"

"Hey, that's not as bad as Barry. He broadcasts it all over his Facebook page!"

"There's nothing wrong with Lady Gaga, she has some really sick music. Besides, I like Skrillex, too." Harrison looked over towards the ground and noticed Barry lying in the plank position where he had been doing a series of rapid-fire pushups. "Did you know that he had been in a punk band before going to create what was then called Dubstep? Though, depending on who you ask, he wasn't really the one that created it, which has caused many arguments in the music industry about whether or not he should really be credited for making music. Then, of course, deadmau5 comes into the equation and things get even more confusing."

He pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his hands. Harrison's gaze pinpointed to the small cloud of dust that appeared in a cloud as he clapped his palms together. "I see you made it out to the bridge collapse earlier this afternoon," he remarked. "Am I to be surprised if by tomorrow morning the entire thing is rebuilt?" He smiled as Barry shook his head. "It's just as well, it gives you practice with lifting and moving weights at a top rate of speed. Something we should've thought to go into ages ago."

"I can get another sample and try to determine the amount of weight and the matter he can carry before it either tires him out or combusts," Caitlin offered.

"Not at the moment, Miss. Snow. Right now we have some more pressing matters to deal with." Harrison navigated away from Caitlin's desk top and noticed movement on one of the outside cameras. He watched the image for a moment and then smiled before turning around. "Seems to me that we have a couple of visitors." As he said that, there was a puff of smoke and Cadence and Barry appeared in the center of the floor.

Brady's eyes widened as he took in all of the high-tech gadgets and gizmos that surrounded the room. "Wow," he said breathlessly before turning back to his mother. "You work here?"

"It's not like I get paid for it, but yeah," Cadence agreed. She waved him to his side before motioning to her co-workers. "Guys, this is Brady. Brady you remember Barry, this is Dr. Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramone, and Dr. Harrison Wells."

"Just call me Caitlin." Standing up, she walked over to Brady and bent over, placing one hand on her knee, holding out the other towards Brady. "It's nice to meet you, Brady."

"Hi." Brady smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, too." He let go of her hand and moved aside, holding his hand out to Harrison, who came up behind Caitlin. Caitlin quickly stood up and looked at her mentor, whose eyes quickly shifted to her face, before holding his hand out towards Brady as well. "Hi."

"Hello there." Harrison shook Brady's hand firmly before leaning back in his seat. His thin lips stretched into a smile as his eyes shifted around the room. "I see you're fascinated by what we have going on here. I just want you to know that we're all doing our best to help Cadence and Barry with their powers. So you have no reason to worry."

Brady smiled and continued to walk around the room, taking in what it had to offer. He trotted over to Barry and Cisco, shaking their hands before being led over to the treadmill that Cisco had created for Barry. He watched as the speedster jumped on and started running slowly before going at his top speed, becoming a red blur. Brady watched with eyes wide, filled with admiration.

"I think he's gonna like it here," Cadence remarked with a laugh, watching him. "I think it's going to be hard for him to keep from telling his friends now, though." She looked over at Harrison, lowering her gaze. "I'm sorry I didn't run this by you before I brought him…but since he knew about my powers I thought he should know about this, too."

"No need to apologize, Miss. Nash. I understand that in times of stress there are some extenuating circumstances that you can't exactly foresee." He pulled off his glasses and gazed down at the lenses for a moment, almost pensive. Then he raised his eyes to hers. "As it is, it's really refreshing. He reminds me of me when I was young, just getting into what the scientific fields had to offer."

"Then I hope he doesn't try to blow up a microwave," Caitlin remarked, sharing a secret smile with Harrison as she referred to one of the many anecdotes he had told her of his youth. Though they weren't as infamous as the ones he had told her of his times as an undergrad and as a grad student, it still managed to get to utter a chuckle or two. "But now that you're here, Cadence, why don't we get some practice in?"

At Cadence's confused glance, Harrison continued. "We want to get a good idea of your powers in comparison to each other. So if you don't mind exhibiting it…"

"You want us to fight?"

She jumped at the sound of a crash and looked over to see Cisco, and Brady wincing as Barry peeled himself off of the wall behind him. He raised his hands above his head as if to mime he wasn't hurt, causing Caitlin and Harrison to slowly shake their heads back and forth in unison.

"Wow, you really have that motherly headshake down," Cadence remarked.

Caitlin gave her a wry smile. "I've had a lot of practice."

"To answer your question, Miss. Nash, yes we want you two to fight," Harrison said. "It'd help us with our research and I bet you want to get back at him for having beaten you the first time you two ran into each other."

Cadence's cheek twitched. "I'm not in a very good mood; it won't end well for him."

"I'd hope not." Harrison's words caused Cadence to falter for a second but then she nodded and went to change into her suit. Harrison then directed Barry into his suit before the group moved to a room that used to be an active lab. It would be plenty of space for the two metahumans to fight. Cisco and Brady eagerly sat to the side, Cisco with an iPad in his lap to watch the fight go down. Harrison and Caitlin situated themselves next to the boys, though deciding to watch the fight in real time. "Now let's see what these two can come up with when they're forced to leave allegiances aside."

Caitlin chewed her lower lip. "Do you think this is a good idea?"

"Don't you?" Harrison glanced over at Caitlin and watched as she tried to form a response to his question.

It was that remarkable brain of hers. No matter what sort of situation she was put in, she managed to come out the other side with a stronger view of the world and with more knowledge she could ever imagine. He had seen how Ronnie's death had affected her, she had visited him in the hospital enough times for him to see she was trying to distract herself from reality, and yet she had managed to come back from that as well.

Like he knew she would.

Just as he knew she would understand that what he was doing was not only good for Cadence, but for Barry and STAR Labs as well. What she didn't know was how it was going to eventually help the world. The whole thing was to help the world and as much as it hurt, he didn't think he'd go back and change any of the choices he had made. _Though that's not entirely true, is it?_ He reasoned with himself, looking down at his legs. Taking in a deep breath he motioned for Barry and Cadence to get started, gazing intently at the two metahumans.

"I'm not going to hold anything back," Barry warned Cadence, stretching his arms.

Cadence responded as she pulled on her goggles, "I hope you won't." There was a brief pause and Barry charged towards her, disappearing from view, but coming towards her with an outstretched fist. Right before he could make contact, Cadence teleported aside and swiftly brought her elbow down onto Barry's back, knocking him to the ground.

Grunting, Barry slammed to the ground before getting back to his feet and charging towards her again, this time in a move to grab her arm, to overpower her with his speed. But once again she teleported out of the way and slammed her foot into his ribs. "You have to try better than that, Barry," she said through gritted teeth. "At least make it worth my while."

Lying on his side on the ground, Barry pushed himself up and watched Cadence, placing a hand on his chest. Then a glow caught his gaze and he watched as a glow moved from her wrists and down her hands, disappearing into her gloves. Realizing she was about to send fire his way, Barry leapt up and aimed another punch towards her. As she started to teleport away, causing her to suddenly shift her focus in power, he moved around her in a quick circle and kneed her in the stomach before kicking her legs out from underneath her, knocking her down. Retreating a safe distance away, Barry watched as Cadence got to her feet.

"Oh, that was _so_ awesome!" Cisco declared, to which Brady nodded enthusiastically. His eyes were wide as he watched the two, unable to form any other sounds.

Cadence's chest heaved up and down as she regarded Barry with a slow, evil smile. "Don't hold back, right?"

In return, Barry lifted his hands. "Don't hold back."

Cadence's eyes flashed a bright orange as she lowered her head, rolled her shoulders then suddenly stepped out with a strong punch, a flash of fire racing towards Barry. He quickly moved out of the way and raced towards her to strike her. Cadence reacted by running back towards him and swinging her arms up; in a standing back flip. Her momentum kicked Barry in the chin and sent him stumbling back, before charging her and tackling her to the ground. He managed to get a few punches in before Cadence rolled to the side and wrapped her legs around his neck. With a push of her hands off of the floor, she rotated like a helicopter propeller, the momentum throwing him to the ground.

Barry charged Cadence once more and got in a series of hits on her. She tried to teleport away but Barry turned back and continued to get swings in. He could see her frustration starting to get to her, causing her movements to become more erratic, easier for him to avoid. Though when she did hit him, he could feel the strength in eat hit. Barry knocked her onto her back and Cadence teleported a few feet away.

He turned towards her but she sent stream after stream of fire his way, blocking his movements to escape. Then she was back on him, eyes and fists blazing as the two traded blows. She got a punch to his cheek; hand encased with fire that immediately burned his skin. Barry cried out in pain, holding onto his face, stumbling back and Cadence grabbed onto his neck, causing him to scream again.

"Don't even try it Barry," she hissed, voice low with anger. "You and I both know that you're not strong enough to beat me. Not yet. Now, I'd hope that you were smart enough to realize that right from the beginning." She brought his face closer to hers. "You don't think; because if you did, you would realize that no matter how fast you move fire always moves faster!"

Caitlin gasped quietly, watching the intensity of the fire metahuman. "Don't you think we should stop them?" She asked. She glanced at Harrison, who didn't reply, still watching the metahumans with rapt attention. She then turned to Cisco, who had handed the iPad to Brady and was not getting to his feet. The young scientist's eyes were still on the fight as he groped his way over to Harrison.

"I think we should stop," he said, swallowing thickly. "I don't think he can handle this. What if she loses control?"

"That is exactly what I was hoping for," Harrison murmured, removing his hand from his mouth. "And it appears we've reached that moment." He grabbed the joystick on the arm of his seat and moved himself a few inches forward. "That's enough!" He called, voice echoing over the room. Cadence glanced at him but didn't stop. Harrison then rolled over to the fire alarm that rested on the wall and pulled it.

Alarms immediately sounded and seconds late the room was filled with water. The water hit Cadence and the fire around her hand and in her eyes immediately disappeared. She let go of Barry and he fell to the ground before she fell to her knees beside him.

"Barry?" She hovered over him. "Are you okay? I'm sorry."

Barry coughed a few times before turning to her with a small smile. The burns on his cheek and neck started to heal. "I'm not," he said. "That was cool."

Cadence smiled.

"Like father like daughter," Harrison remarked with a light shake of his head. "I should've known from the beginning that she could have the ability to use her emotions to strengthen or weaken her power. It appears that she's managed to control that ability for the most part. But when she loses control…"

"Are you telling me her father gets that angry, too?" Cisco asked, eyes widening.

Brady nodded. "Mhm. But he doesn't have powers."

 _No, he doesn't,_ Harrison thought.

Caitlin leaned towards Harrison. Her hair brushing his shoulder caused him to slightly turn towards her, ignoring the slight twitch of movement in his legs. As she spoke her voice was soft with worry from what she had just seen. "I don't mean to speak out of turn, but as a reminder, it's not right to think it came from her father, as it could be passed down from her mother as well."

Harrison hid a secret smile. "Precisely."


	15. It's Like I Was Being Controlled

**.:15:.**

_It's Like I Was Being Controlled  
_

* * *

 

The area of the warehouse was dark, milky light from the room filtering through the holes in the roof. The sound of water lapping at the wooden stilts that kept it above water level could be heard as the seconds passed. The three figures that waited inside looked at each other every now and then. Despite working with each other for the past couple of years, they were aware that they couldn't quite trust each other as much as they should. No, they weren't a team, they weren't going to congratulate each other on a job well done, pat each other on the back then head off to some bar to continue to bask in their achievement.

Once the money was given and handed out, they went their separate ways before being called back to do it all over again. And again and again until enough money was piled up for the ultimate plan that had to be unfolded. It was moving a lot quicker than Breathtaker had thought it would go.

As soon as he figured out how wealthy and successful this guy was, that had set the whole plan in motion for Breathtaker. Not only would it be the best way to turn Central City against what they had always known, creating villains out of the people they thought they could trust, but it would bring him that great power he had been searching for. The power he would do anything to make sure he could get it. Even stage the death of someone so that he could make sure everything went the way it was supposed to.

It had been so easy too, based on what Cadence had told him after having watched Barry for so long, he was someone that was easy to become friends with. After having gotten Leah to get into General Eiling's head, getting to know the person he had been chasing after, it had been so easy for everything else to go along. Now all he had to do was wait for Incognito to come around and then they could finally put the ultimate plan in action. Not only would it mean the demise for Central City, but it would mean the ultimate demise for the man that used to be in such high regard and had his reputation crashed to the ground.

"What are we waiting for?" Leah's voice broke through the silence, echoing around the warehouse. Breathtaker, who had been quietly pacing back and forth across the overhead rafter looked down at her. "I'm ready to get going…to get some money. I don't know about you, but I have to pay my rent. Central City isn't as glamorous, rent wise, as you'd think it is."

"Try Starling City," Lucas shot back. He sat on the bottom step of the stairs that lead to the upper floors of the warehouse, gently shifting a cigarette in his mouth. "That place is run over by the millionaires. The Glades is the only part of the city that the cost of living is actually affordable." He tilted his head to the side. "Kind of reminds me of Metropolis in a way."

Leah laughed and reached out, taking the cigarette from his mouth and sticking it in her own, taking a long breath. "Speaking of Metropolis, where's Brigade? I figured she'd be here by now."

"She's probably making sure that the little one is in bed before coming over here," Lucas pointed out. He slowly smiled. "I mean, what other incentive to make sure she does what we need her to do?" He looked up at Leah who chuckled, her eyes suddenly glowing a cobalt blue.

"Hmm, I wonder," she said before the two started to laugh.

"Patience," Breathtaker said as he came down from the upper rafters. His eyes glowed underneath his hood, hands poking out from the sleeves. "We're not going to allow anything to ruin what we're striving for. The minute you have your impatience show, the harder it will be for us in the long run." He turned back and forth between Leah and Lucas and the two nodded. "Now, we have a new target to go after. The first couple that we managed to get through…we'll leave them alone. If the inheritance had been any bigger we would've gone after the son, too, but we got the money we needed and created an ally that we'll be able to go back to when the time is right. Now, we need to be sure that our next hit goes one hundred percent. We can only do that when Cadence gets here."

"If you say so," Leah agreed.

Lucas looked aside, running a hand over his face. He was silent for a long moment before bringing his cigarette back to his mouth and taking in a long, long drag, breathing it back out of his nose and mouth in a large puff of smoke. _It better go right this time._ They needed this hit to go exactly right, not only would it make things easier in the monetary department. He had no sense of guilt, no feelings, he did what he was going to end up doing anyway, as his life was going to run in that direction if he didn't wind up in jail first.

"Hey." Lucas looked up as Cadence walk into the warehouse, sliding through the side door. "Is everyone here?" She looked up at Breathtaker and nodded as he motioned for the group to come together. "Incognito still isn't here yet?"

"There are still some things he needs to make sure of, Brigade," Breathtaker replied. "I was just reminding them about patience and I know you have a temper. Don't worry about him; he'll be here when the time is right. At the moment, there are more important things to worry about. Such as the next assignment we have and being sure we keep Bette Sans Souci out of sight until the rest of the Suicide Squad gets arrives."

"What's the target?" Leah asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"One of the richest people in Central City," Breathtaker replied. "The Mayor."

After getting their assignment, Cadence, Lucas, and Leah went to the block that held the tallest buildings in Central City. They casually strolled down the streets as a light downpour started to fall. Leah glanced up at the first building them came across and tilted her head back. "Is this the place?" She asked.

Cadence nodded and looked it over before lowering her gaze to the sheet of paper that was clenched in her hand. She tilted her head to the side and let out a low breath, looking over the front of the building. It appeared the same way it had when she was given the information from Breathtaker, and yet she felt…weird being there. Not that she hadn't done it before, killed people to get the money that was promised to them when needed. But now…the last people they had gone against had bad lives, they acted like everything was okay, that they were God's gift to Earth, but no one around them knew of the drug use they were constantly hiding day after day. No one else knew that their son was starving, didn't have a lot of attention put on him, was neglected because the parents had been so into their drugs.

That had been an easy one; family members had tried to get the two of them to stop their obvious addictions, having put them into rehab more times than could be count. But they continued to relapse over and over again, then they had started to steal money and possessions from said family members to make sure that their need could be paid for, alienating themselves from the rest of their family. And that's what had been the final straw for the uncle, brother to the mother. He had become so tired of everyone around them being so engrossed in the tragedy of their sister's life, that he felt there was nothing better for them than the death they deserved.

It hadn't been hard to get into contact with Breathtaker, for those that new the dark, seedy, underbelly of the Central City that continued to hold a shiny, sparkling reputation in comparison to its sister city, Starling, that was positioned about six hundred miles away, no one would be the wiser. It was to appear like an accident, and it had almost failed because Cadence suddenly felt guilty while she had been doing it. Which was strange, all of the times she had worked on hits before, with the Assassination Bureau and she felt nothing until she returned to her house and snuggled up with Brady, able to return to her normal life.

But this time…

"Yep, this is the place," She finally concurred. "Don't forget, get past the doorman, make sure security is taken care of, get in, get out."

"Got it."

Leah brought her hands up and smoothed the spikes of her Mohawk, and then the three moved into the lobby of the large high-rise building. The Mayor lived on the top floor, every other floor showcasing his wealthy in one way or another. Then again, from their understanding, there was hardly any politicians in the world that didn't throw their wealth around in one way or another. But this one took the cake.

"Who needs to go out when they have a place like this?" Lucas commented as he looked around the lobby once the three went inside. "I wouldn't even have to do my day job. Just lay around in my underwear all day, impress the ladies I bring back here…"

"Yeah, you wish," Leah remarked with a light laugh, exchanging a glance with Cadence, who rolled her eyes as well. "I've got the front desk, Stratos, you get security. Brigade can handle the rest." Lucas and Cadence nodded and Leah looked back and forth from the two of them, her eyes staying on Cadence for a minute, eyes glowing, before striding over to the front desk.

The young man that sat behind the counter turned his attention to Leah and his eyes lit up as he got a good look at her. Obviously checking her out, he sat up as Leah rested her arms not he counter. "Hi," the man greeted her. "How may I help you?"

"We're here for a meeting with Mayor Champlain," she explained. "I know it's late but we have a very important meeting that we have to get to. So, if you don't mind…" she practically purred, leaning towards her. "Do you think you could let him know we're here and we're on our way up."

The young man smiled, pleased by her attention. "I'm sorry, but there are no scheduled visits or meetings for Mayor Champlain," she explained. "Not only that, but there was no mention for there to be any visitors for him tonight."

Leah leaned towards him and her eyes continued to glow a bright blue, increasing by the second. "Yes, there is a meeting tonight," she said in a low, monotone voice. "Not only that but we are to not be disturbed. In fact, don't bother checking on Mayor Champlain until tomorrow morning. Erase the tapes that have the three of us here, and…" she looked him up and down before giving a naughty smile. "But I want you to call me later. We'll go out for dinner and dancing."

She waited for a brief moment and then her eyes stopped glowing and the man nodded. He stood up and leaned over, motioning towards the elevators. "Take the elevators all the way up to the penthouse, then it'll be the last doors on the left. There will be security at the door, tell them that I gave you permission to go up." He smiled cheerfully. "Then, while you're up there, I'll go to the security room and get the tapes. And I'll figure out the best restaurant to take you to, tomorrow."

"A place with good Filet Mignon, please." Leah blew him a kiss and tossed a wink his way before turning on her heel and joining Lucas and Cadence once more. "Mission Accomplished."

"Good job, Mindboggler," Lucas commended her with a lazy clap. "Should've known that you would find a way to make this a house call for yourself. How _is_ the sex life anyway? You seem a lot more calm than the last time we saw you."

Cadence rolled her eyes and shoved Lucas towards the elevator. "We don't have time for this, Stratos, let's go." The three went to the elevator and went inside. Once the doors closed, Cadence lifted her hand and a fireball appeared above her palm. She blew on it and smoke swirled around the elevator car, engulfing every inch of space, keeping the security camera from inside from capturing their images. Then she grabbed onto Lucas and Leah's arms and teleported them out of the elevator and onto the top floor of the penthouse.

Once they arrived around the corner, Lucas rolled his neck and cracked his fingers before he started down the winding hallways with at a quick paced walk, Cadence and Leah following him, keeping pace with little effort. Once they turned the corner and headed towards the doors that lead to the penthouse, security that was stationed outside the door turned and held up their hands towards them.

"Hold it," the security guard on the left commanded. "How did you get to this floor? How did you get past the front desk."

"The young man working there is very helpful," Leah said. "He said that we could go right ahead into suite." She flashed a charming smile, but the security guard continued to hold his hand up towards them. He turned to his partner, who regarded the three with a suspicious eye.

"I'm sorry Sir, Ma'am, but we can't allow you to go inside," the second security guard remarked. "I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave, unless you have a certain level of security clearance. Just saying the man at the front desk,"—a look of irritation flashed across his face—"let you up here isn't security clearance."

"And I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this," Lucas remarked with a light sigh. His blue eyes flashed back and forth between the two police officers. "But you give me no choice." He lifted his hands and thrust them forward. A gust of wind blew through the hallway and knocked the security guards off of their feet and to the ground. He then thrust his hands forward once more, and the security guards started to choke, bringing their hands up to their necks as the air was pulled out of their lungs. Their eyes bulged and they continued to try and gasp for air, but the longer Lucas concentrated on his power, the stronger the wind blew.

Finally, the security guards fell silent and collapsed to the floor. Lucas lowered his arms and with a single breath, blew a strand of hair out of his face. He turned to Cadence, who nodded and, using her enhanced speed, ran the three into the penthouse suite, speedily closing and locking the door behind them.

She then went into Mayor Chamberlain's bedroom, filling it with smoke and raising the temperature inside before going in, disappearing in the darkness.

He didn't stand a chance.

* * *

 

Eddie grinned down into Iris's face before kissing her again; bring his hands up to her hair and gently running his fingers through it. Iris let out a light giggle against his lips and brought her hands to his cheeks, gently stroking the skin as they kissed again and again, only breaking apart when the need for air became too much.

"I'm so glad you managed to get the day off," Iris said, gazing up at him as she leaned back against the corner of the couch. Swinging her jean-clad legs up into his lap she ran a finger through her hair, fixing it. "Why don't we go to the Plaza and get something to eat? Or maybe have a picnic in the park."

"I don't know," Eddie ground out, pretending to think. "I'm having enough fun enjoying the taste of vanilla cupcakes on your lips." Iris laughed as he leaned in and kissed her again. "Why don't we just stay in today, Babe? The last thing I need is to be out and get distracted by a bank robbery, some sort of a jay walking fight…sightings of the Flash…"

Iris let out a weary sigh and looked away from Eddie. He watched her, waiting for her reaction. He knew she would be sort of irritated; he had been a bit…unsupportive since he had found out about her blog. But what was he supposed to do? There was no evidence that there was such as thing as the Flash, it could've been weird streaks in pictures that were taken. But her obsession with him…there had to be some basis around it. She said she was doing it for Barry, trying to give the people of Central City something to believe in like he had believed there was something or someone that had gone and killed his mother.

He didn't know what to feel about that either. It was a strange story, a man made of lightning going into his house and killing his mother. Not that he really doubted Barry, the young man was smart and knew what he was taking about on a lot of subject, but he had been a kid and just watched his mother get murdered. Something that traumatizing that young could create any sort of image in your head to cope with it.

"I thought we agreed to stop talking about it," Iris said to him.

"I know," Eddie agreed. "But you're still writing that blog and I can't have you risk coming onto crime scenes just because you want to get a sighting of him," he said. "What if someone found out…what if people think you have a connection to this guy and try to go after you?"

"I thought you said that he didn't exist," Iris reminded him.

Eddie sighed and leaned back towards his side of the couch. He brought up his hand and gently rubbed Iris's thigh as she turned away from him. This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go. He didn't even know why he brought it up when they were having such a good time together on his day off. She had spent the time night as she had been for the past couple of days and things had been going so well. She had been there with a hot dinner after her shifts at Jitters ended and as the day ended they were able to push aside what happened during the day and just enjoyed each other's company.

At least he enjoyed hers, every now and then he couldn't help but feel that she was pulling away from him and becoming more and more secretive. He hoped that his day off would be able to bring the two of them closer together.

"I know," Eddie said to her. "Forget that I even brought it up. Let's go and get something to eat. We can go to a movie after."

Iris's nose wrinkled for a moment. "I don't really want to go see a movie," she said. "There's nothing out that I really want to see."

Eddie flashed her a charming smile as he got to his feet, pulling Iris up next to him with a gentle tug of her hands. "I know." He brushed her hair away from her face as his eyes flashed mischievously. "But I never said that we would actually _watch_ the movie," he pointed out and kissed Iris again. They kissed until Iris pulled back, biting her lower lip as she smiled up at him.

"Let me just get my purse," she said.

"Don't worry about it, I'll pay for everything."

Iris hesitated a second, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I know," She said slowly. "But…I want to have my stuff with me just in case something…happens." She turned on her heel and quickly walked out of the living room and towards the back of the apartment where Eddie's bedroom room.

Eddie reached up his hands and rubbed them across his face. Right. In case something happened. In case something with the Flash happened and she needed to get as much information about it as she could before posing it to her blog. _Don't let it get you mad, Eddie. It's not something you need to be angry about. She's doing what her heart is telling her…just like you are._ Scratching the back of his neck, Eddie started to pace back and forth.

He only stopped when his cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. Looking at the screen, he sighed when Joe's name came up and he answered the call, lifting the phone to his ear. "Hey, Joe, what's up?"

"You remember that Michael Bloom character that we had caught, being the one that had kidnapped Barry's friend's brother?" Joe's voice came over the phone in a series of words. Eddie sucked in a deep breath as soon as the name flashed across his mind.

"Yeah..yeah, I remember…" He swallowed thickly before starting to pace once more. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Iris come back out of the bedroom and slow her walk as she spotted him on the phone. He held a finger up towards her, indicating he would only be a minute, before returning to the call. "What's going on? I thought we let him go."

There was a brief pause on the other side of the phone and Eddie waited, listening as Joe let out a long breath. When his voice came back on the line once more, Eddie could hear the stress and disbelief that was in the man's voice. "He says he has a confession to make…I think you should get here right now."

Eddie looked over at Iris once more and she raised an eyebrow, he could see the slight impatience in her face. But…this was something he needed for the job, to finally close the case and he couldn't let it go. "Yeah, I'll be there soon." He hung up the phone and turned back to Iris. "I'm sorry, Babe, but something came up, we're going to have to reschedule."

Iris looked like she was about to protest but then gently shook her head before smiling at her boyfriend. "I understand," she said. "I'll just…hang out with Barry. We haven't hung out with each other in a while, so this will be some good time to catch up."

He couldn't help but feel a wave of irritation wash over him as soon as he heard Iris's plans. Not that he didn't understand Barry's and Iris's friendship but still…they were already so close, like family, and then she had gone so far as to refuse to leave his side for days when he was in his coma. Not that he was a jerk and didn't understand their relationship but…he was sure there was something else going on. Not even the idea of her hanging out with him caused the smile that flashed across her face and through her eyes whenever she talked about Barry or made plans to hang out with him.

"Well," Eddie paused for a moment. "Have fun." He walked forward and placed his hands on Iris's cheeks, looking her in the eye. "I love you," he said.

Iris glanced up at him in confused for a moment. "I love you, too," she said. She then gave him a peck before backing out of his grasp. "I'll see you later. Call me and then we can get dinner or go out for drinks or something."

"Sure," Eddie agreed. "No problem." He picked up his keys and police badge from the table by the front door and followed Iris out of the apartment. He watched as she walked down the street towards the bus stop, her phone to her ear and talking animatedly to whomever was on the other end—he was sure it was Barry—towards the bust stop. He then went to his car and climbed inside, going to the precinct.

Once he arrived he was directed into an interrogation room where Joe was standing in the corner, arms crossed over his chest. Michael Bloom sat at the cold table, looking down at his hands. He only looked up when Eddie entered the room, closing the door behind him.

Joe cleared his throat once the three of them were alone. "Michael, you remember Detective Thawne. He was assigned to the case as well. Now…you said you wanted to make a confession? Why now? Why after we gave you the chance to get away did you want to make a confession?"

Michael remained silent for a moment before taking a deep, shuddering breath. "I…I didn't remember…there were a lot of things that I didn't remember about the incident. I remember being in the hospital, being interrogated…but there were a lot of things I didn't remember until recently."

Eddie rounded the table, taking slow, deliberate steps. "What sort of things?"

"I remember being told to take the kid, but I wasn't really sure why. Just that it was what I was supposed to do. I remember that I was to be paid a lot of money for doing it. I just…I just don't remember doing it, being caught, getting hurt. There are…there are gaps in my memory of those things."

"Mr. Bloom," Joe said. "If there are things you don't remember, as you claim you don't, _why_ did you want to come in and make a confession?" He gazed at Michael with a hint of compassion on his face, calmly standing at the other side of the room. He felt no need to try and intimidate the guy that had turned himself in. No, there was something else that was going on.

Eddie looked over at Joe and nodded his agreement to the question. There was something that wasn't adding up, something that was holding back a big part of the puzzle they were trying to piece together. _And if I can't get any sort of answers from Cadence, I'm going to get them from this guy._

"Because I know I didn't want to do it," Michael said in almost a whisper. "When…when they approached me with the idea, I was confused. Yes, I was a bit short on money, who isn't at this point in time? But I would never want to be an accomplice for a kidnapping. That wasn't my M.O."

"So what did you do? What was it that you did to have whoever it was that orchestrated everything to come up to you?" Michael was silent and Joe continued. "You'll get a lighter sentence if you tell us. Admitting to a crime is better for the ultimate repercussions you'll receive than it is if you continue to lie and we find out about it."

"Sometimes I run crack through some of my clients in the park," Michael admitted. "It's not something that I always do, just when I need the cash. And…this guy and girl came up to me and said I could make a lot more money than I ever dreamed just by helping them with something. By kidnapping this kid. I didn't want to do it initially, I knew that that's even worse than what I was doing and I didn't want that on my rap sheet. Next thing I know I've got the kid and am waiting for my next assignment."

"Who were the people that wanted you to do this?" Joe's voice was low, urgent.

"I don't remember."

Eddie snorted loudly. "You don't remember. You don't remember the people that told you to kidnap Brady when you didn't want to do it, but you did it."

Michael looked confused for a second. "I…I don't…no…I don't remember who it was that had wanted me to do it. I just….I never wanted to take him. I just wanted to do what I was doing and go back to my house and watch Game of Thrones. I never expected for something like that to happen."

"But you did it anyway?" Joe pressed.

"Why?" Eddie barked.

"I don't know!"

"It was the money right? Realizing that you were going to get a lot of money for it, that's when you decided to take the job and kidnap the kid as soon as you got the chance?" Eddie continued. "Is that right?"

"No," Michel said, shaking his head. "No…it wasn't like that."

Eddie let out a growl and slapped the table as hard as he could before leaning into Michael's face, lips pulled back into an almost snarl. Normally he wouldn't act this way, but he couldn't stand not getting answers as easily as he would like. All he wanted was answers and he was going to get it. "Then what was it?"

Letting out a shaky breath, Michael looked back and forth between Eddie and Joe before finally breaking down. "It was like I was being controlled. Like someone _made_ me do it!"

Startled, Eddie moved back and looked up at Joe, who frowned at Michael's words. The two Detectives exchanged glances and looked over at Michael as he finally broke down into tears.

"If…if that hadn't happened…I wouldn't do it. I would _never_ do something like this. Please…you have to believe me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story and the rest of The Flash and The Flame series can be found in full (the fourth story is a work in progress) on the Fanfiction.net profile, DarkElements10. Please keep in mind this story was originally posted on FFN in October 2014 and finished November 2015, so some things need to be changed/fixed as the story goes on.


	16. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story and the rest of The Flash and The Flame series can be found in full (the fourth story is a work in progress) on the Fanfiction.net profile, DarkElements10. Please keep in mind this story was originally posted on FFN in October 2014 and finished November 2015, so some things need to be changed/fixed as the story goes on. I hope you guys enjoy it and feel free to follow my adjoining tumblr posts at purple-and-red-ribbons.tumblr.com.

**.:16:.**

* * *

 

Ever since Ronnie passed, Caitlin couldn't stand being in her house alone. It had been _their_ house, or at least would've been if things had gone the way they were supposed to. They had bought the house together and she had already moved in, getting things ready for when he finally had the free time to get his things together and move in completely. Ronnie had slept with her at the house a few times but still had to get out of his lease back at his apartment before he could move in completely.

But then all of it had been blown away—quite literally—when the explosion blew. She should've been married by that time, maybe starting to think of having kids, working on their future together. They should've gone on their honeymoon and come back and started their lives together in that home. But now that it was empty, now that it wasn't going to be filled with the laughter and memories the two had dreamed of doing, it was filled with silence. The only sounds that were audible in that home were the noises she made when she was trying to break the silence.

The television or a radio was on as background noise just because she wanted to feel that there was someone else there. She talked about her problems that she was working through out loud so that she had extra noise. She answered her phone on speaker to make it seem like there was someone else there, she did everything she could to avoid the silence. And that was why she worked hard at STAR Labs, she went to work early after stopping off for some coffee, and she stayed late if not going to the bar to toast to herself. Anything that would keep her from having to constantly be reminded of the things she had lost.

It was a typical morning for her that day. She stopped at the coffee shop that was closest to her, got her usual. One espresso to warm her up, to wake her up in the morning, and then one iced coffee that she would be sipping on for the rest of the day. Then she started her walk to STAR Labs. Sure, she could use her car, she could take public transportation, but she enjoyed the walk and it helped her take her mind off of things. Besides, it was winter and she always enjoyed the brisk, fresh air of winter. Watching her breath steam up in front of her just reminded her that she was still alive, that she was able to continue moving on day by day.

Arriving at STAR Labs, Caitlin went in through the open gate at the back and slipped inside. Her hells clacked against the ground as she arrived at her office and flicked on the light. He went over to the air conditioning unit behind her desk and adjusted it to her preferred settings before sitting at her desk and booting up her computer. First thing she had to do was go through her email, then she had to go through the charts and figures that held Barry's and Cadence's stats, then she needed to help Cisco scan the city in case the two metahumans were needed.

"I see you've managed to sneak in without anyone noticing, again," Harrison said as he wheeled into the room, startling Caitlin. The bioengineer jumped as she heard his voice before pushing her office chair aside from her computer and looked at him. She held her iced coffee in her hands, gently twisting it in her hands. "I hope you brought enough to share," he added, nodding towards the cup.

"I didn't think you liked iced coffee," Caitlin remarked, though she stretched out her hand and passed it over to him. His fingers brushed against hers as she took it and she quickly brought her hand back, twisting her hair around her finger. "I mean, you and Cisco are always making fun of me for having the AC on so much."

"Yes, well, most people don't enjoy the cold as much as you do," Harrison commented. He took her cup of iced coffee and twisted it in his hand, finding a clear spot on the rim that didn't have her lipstick on it, and took a long sip. He then handed it back to her. "If I'm not mistaken, you're originally from Wisconsin, aren't you? So you're used to the cold."

"Yes, well, Wisconsin winters are nothing to take light of," Caitlin remarked. "Then again, winter had always been my favorite season, no matter where I was." She gently twisted back and forth in her seat as she spoke. "I always loved to go skiing and sledding and snowboarding—"

"Snowboarding?"

"What? You don't think I'm the type that would go snowboarding?"

"To be quite frank, no," Harrison remarked. "That's not to say it's a problem. But you seemed to be the…studious, librarian type." Crossing his arms, he looked Caitlin in the eyes. "If not making sure you had all of your work done ahead of time, maybe being a bit of an overachiever." Caitlin made a sound of offense and he laughed, bringing his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying. You graduated from medical school at 20 and continued a very successful career. It takes a lot of work to do it."

"Yeah, well, I'm not just a scientist," Caitlin defended herself. "I like to be as active as possible." She looked down at her hands. "Ronnie and I used to go running every morning, to stay in shape." She gave a light laugh. "Not only because I wanted to look good in my wedding dress and everything, but because it was something that we really enjoyed doing together. He kept saying that I needed to lighten up and not get so stressed over work and everyone knows that going running makes you release endorphins." She brushed her hair behind her ear, looking away from Harrison as the pain flashed across her face.

She had to stop talking about him or else she would never get over him and what had happened. It was like being back in her house where she did her best to act like she wasn't the only one there. But now here she was, spilling everything to Dr. Wells as if she couldn't help herself.

"It must be hard," Harrison said slowly, his voice low and soothing. "To know that it's almost been a year. We lost someone that was really special to you and to STAR Labs. I don't think I could've finished this whole operation without his help. And Cisco's…and yours…" he shifted his eyes back towards Caitlin and reached up, taking off his glasses. "I know how you feel…I felt the same way when my wife passed away."

Caitlin reacted with surprise. She hadn't known that Harrison was ever married. She figured he'd had girlfriends, maybe even some flings…from what she remembered of his telling from his high school and college days. Even when she had started working with him at STAR Labs—before meeting Ronnie of course, she had to quickly remind herself—she wondered if he had any girlfriends that he kept a secret from the rest of the staff. He really did value his privacy and didn't let on whether or not he had someone special with him. She wondered if that was the reason that he had been so…so engrossed in his work when he had first created STAR Labs in Central City, why he had been so aggressive in the means of hiring his staff and working on their projects.

It must've been really hard to have seen it all fall apart around him, lost the use of his legs, and then have lost his wife all at the same time. It clearly still hurt him, she realized, as he was commiserating in the pain with her, when he probably would've kept the secret to his grave when he got the chance.

"I…I didn't know you were married," She said. "All of my research on you didn't—" she immediately broke off, noticing the amused smile that flashed across Harrison's face and closed her eyes as tightly as she could, wishing she could disappear. How embarrassing. She just admitted that she had looked up everything she could about him after he had offered her the job to work with him at the laboratory.

"Well, it's nice to know that you've researched me as much as I've researched you," Harrison said calmly. "Not anything to be embarrassed about, really. It's smart to make sure you know everything about someone." His tone took a sudden dark shift as he looked away from her, off into space. "Things they want you to know, don't want you to know. To make sure you know everything that'll come your way and you can anticipate it before the time comes." He finally turned back to Caitlin. "I told you before I'm a very private person so I don't make it a habit for people to know everything about my…family life." He cleared his throat. "She passed a couple of months before I came to Central City. In fact, she's the reason that I decided to come out here and start my work."

"…how did she pass?"

"Car accident." He said it so matter-of-fact that it startled Caitlin for a moment. "It was raining, she took a sharp turn too wide, the other car couldn't move out of the way quickly enough."

"I'm so sorry," Caitlin breathed. She shook her head. "How long were you married?"

"Long enough so that moving on was a lot harder than I thought it would be," Harris on admitted. He leaned forward and rested his arms on his legs. "We always talked about what we'd do if something happened to one of us, who our assets would go to…we never talked about how we would work through the next couple of months. Me? I dedicated my life to my work. I didn't focus on myself or what her death had done to me until it was too late and I realized I had pushed away everyone around me. I didn't grieve until one day I broke down in my house and barricaded myself indoors for days." He reached out and grabbed onto Caitlin's hand, warming it in hers. "I don't want you to do the same, Caitlin. I can _see_ that you're falling in the same pattern. All you're doing is trying to keep everything inside, so people don't see that you're broken, so you can act like you never really cared.

"And as you keep doing that, you'll continue to dig yourself into that dark hole of despair more and more. You'll continue to think that you can pull yourself out of said hole, but soon enough you'll find out that you can only hit rock bottom before you can come back out. And by that time you'll break down and find yourself alone. I don't want you to get to that point; if there's ever a time that you need a break, time off of work, just someone to talk to, please come to me." A small smile slid onto his face as Caitlin raised her eyes and looked at him. "I'd like to help you in any way that I can. I care about you and your well being and would hate to see you go down the same path I did."

"Thanks, Dr. Wells," Caitlin said. She matched his small smile with her own. "That means a lot."

"I hoped it would." Harrison squeezed her hand before pulling it back and resting his hand on top of the control mechanism on his wheelchair. "Am I correct in assuming that you won't listen if I insist that you go home instead of working?"

Caitlin nodded. "Pretty much."

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you, Caitlin." Harrison turned his wheelchair around and made his way out of the office. "Have a good day."

"You, too." Caitlin turned back to her computer where a picture of her and Ronnie sat on her desktop. She gave a tearful smile as she studied the face of her fiancé—was he still her fiancé even though he had passed?—before navigating to her email.

She had to get to work.

* * *

 

"Mom? Mom. Mom!" Cadence felt a finger press against her eyelid seconds before it was peeled open and she looked up at her son as he stood over her. Brady lifted her eyelid all the way and looked at her for a moment before doing the same with her other eyelid. "Mom, are you awake?"

"I am now." Cadence pushed Brady's hands away from her face and propped herself up against her headboard. Reaching over, she picked up a pair of glasses off of her bedside table and slid them on before looking over at the clock. "Uh, Brade, shouldn't you be going to the bus stop soon. I mean, I know you think it's cool when I run you or teleport you to school but I think going at this point while keep the whole 'secret' thing from being a secret."

Brady reached out and fixed his mother's glasses so that they were situated perfectly on her face. "We have the field trip today, remember? To the Central City Police Department. We're going to get a tour and watch what some of the cops do during a normal day."

"So?" Cadence asked. "I'm pretty sure I remembered to sign that permission slip."

"You did." Brady crossed his arms and started to rock back and forth on his heels, clasping his hands behind his back. "But yesterday in school they were saying that they needed more chaperones…and I said you'd do it."

"What?!" Cadence's eyes narrowed behind her glasses as the words sunk in. Then she leaned forward and rested her face in her hands. _Chaperoning a field trip to the CCPD, that was probably the worst news I could hear right now._ She was sure that the news of Mayor Chamberlain's death had been circulating the news channels since the discovery of his body.

That had been the point, to leave it so that when he was to be woken the next morning, he would be found easily. Actually, murdering him had been a lot easier than she had expected, all she had to do was put a bit of smoke into his lungs and then work it back out. Simple as that, it'd appear to be nothing short of a sudden, unexplained death.

It happened sometimes. And the money they were getting in return was much more than she thought she would ever receive. The money they were getting meant they could move out of their one bedroom apartment into a two bedroom apartment so that Brady could have his own space, enough so that she didn't have to take out so many loans, enough so that the two of them could live comfortably. And that was all she really wanted.

"Yeah, we're going to follow a police officer and—"

"—and that's today?" Cadence continued to try and stall for time, minding racing a mile a minute. If she went to the CCPD there was a really good chance she'd run into Barry and if she ran into Barry that meant that Joe and Eddie would be around somewhere. And if they were around, it meant she was going to get questioned to no end. And while she was a good deflector and liar, there was only so long she could do that before their detective skills kicked in and figured things out. "As in, this morning?"

"Yes, Momma!" Brady reached out and pressed his hands to the sides of Cadence's face and leaned in towards her. "It's today! We have to be there in twenty minutes." Cadence reached her hands up and placed them on Brady's cheeks and squeezed them, causing him to squirm under her grasp before leaning in and giving him a big kiss on the cheek. "Mom!"

"I'm going," Cadence said then blew a raspberry in his face. She laughed at his disgust and shooed him out of the room. "Just let me get dressed and we can get going. It's not far from here."

Now Brady smiled in excitement and wrapped his arms around his mother's neck in a tight hug. The fire metahuman hugged him back before patting him on the butt as he hurried out of the room. Cadence pulled back her covers and slid out of bed, stretching her arms over her head. She ran her hands over her face once more, turning to the door to make sure her brother wasn't coming back through before reaching over to the mattress and lifting it. Kneeling down, she looked over the bills that were spaced out. Enough so that she could break the lease and move into a new place, better than where they were living at the moment, not as dangerous.

She wouldn't have to worry so much if she had to leave Brady behind. Hopefully it would've been the last time she had to do that, other than her assignment to watch Barry. Though she wasn't sure how much longer that would go on. What was it doing as she just continued to _watch_ him, continued to get as much intel on him and his life the easiest way possible. _Just remember, once you've done everything that Breathtaker needs you to do, and then you're free. You made that deal when you first joined them and he's always been a man of his word._

With an irritated sigh, Cadence lowered the mattress once more and used her enhanced speed to race through getting dressed in a white jean jacket, a red tank top, black skinny jeans, and black boots. Once she was finished getting dressed she made sure everything in the room was put in order before walking out to the main area of the tiny apartment, where Brady was sitting atop the coffee table, watching the TV as he ate a banana.

_"And in other news the untimely death of Mayor Chamberlain has caused city-wide confusion. Not only did there not seem to be any sense of forced entry but there haven't been any indications of foul-play in his death as well. Questions keep pouring in but there have been no indication as to getting any answers soon. Though it is hoped that the autopsy that'll be performed within the next couple of days shall aid the investigation."_

Cadence whipped her head around and watched as the news continued to run the story about the Mayor a few seconds more before it switched to a story about the 'Scarlett Speedster' as Central City had started to dub Barry. _I guess 'the Flash' hasn't caught on yet,_ she thought, hardly paying attention as they told the story of his latest sighting, along with a sidekick. _At least they're not coming close to figuring out I'm working with him either._ She reached over and grabbed the remote, turning off the TV.

"Barry does some really cool work as the Flash, Momma," Brady said as he finished his banana. "The fight that you had with him was really cool." He handed her the banana peel and she went to throw it out. "You're really strong! I hope you keep winning fights like that."

"Yeah, I hope so, too," Cadence agreed. She motioned for him to get up as she went over to the keys hanging on the door by the wall. "And Barry's cool. Did you know that he works at the CCPD, too?" She asked and laughed when Brady's eyes lit up as they left the apartment and headed outside. "So maybe we'll see him while we're there."

"I hope so! Barry's cool, too!" Brady hurried out in front of his mother and started to kick and punch the air as if he were warding off an attacker from himself and his mother. "Are you sure I'm not going to develop some powers, too? I really want to be able to do the things you can do." He turned back to his mother as he started to walk backwards, balancing on the curb with his arms outstretched so that he wouldn't fall over. "I want to be able to protect you, too. 'Cause I'm too young to get a job."

"You're not too young for chores," Cadence pointed out, hands in to pockets of her jacket. She kept it open, not bothered by the cold. "And I already pay you an allowance. You don't need to do anything else other than be a kid as long as you can." She scratched the back of her neck. "Speaking of money, though, guess what?"

"What?"

Cadence reached out and put her arm around her son's shoulders, hugging him to her side. "I've come into some money lately, and after saving up for a while, we finally have enough to get a new apartment. So you can get your own room, finally."

"Cool!" Brady's eyes lit up as he tilted his head back and looked up at his mother. "Can I get some sports posters to decorate with? Can I paint it blue? Can we—"

"Whoa, one question at a time, Bud. We can do whatever we want with it, but we need to go and find a good place for us to live, first and that may take some time." She hugged him to her once more before letting go as they arrived at CCPD and headed inside. Brady immediately spotted his classmates and hurried over to be signed in as Cadence slowly walked over to the group of parents/chaperones that were waiting a few feet away, talking over cups of coffee.

They glanced at her and looked away, some smiled and nodded, but not many others gave her any indication that she was there. Not that she wasn't used to it, these were some of the people she had tried to avoid when it came to light that she indeed Brady's mother rather than his older sister. It had been kept somewhat quiet for the most part as she had been set up as an emergency contact for him. While speaking with the teacher before having put him in the class, she explained to him that she was Brady's mother and that she wanted it to stay quiet as long as she could, knowing she would be judged for it.

And she had been right.

Standing off to the side of the group of parents/chaperones, Cadence found herself remembering some of her struggles while in high school. When she had started to show, she felt more alone as the days went by. Not only were there classmates and kids from other grades that did nothing but make fun of her every time she went by, but there were those that acted as if she wasn't there which made navigating through the halls and the lunchroom that much harder as the days went on.

"Hey Cade, what are you doing here?"

Cadence turned around to see Barry walking in through the door behind her, a bag slung over his shoulder and shrugging off his jacket. He flashed her a friendly smile as the fire metahuman looked over towards Brady as their class got together to start their tour.

"Oh, uh, Brade's class is having a tour of the CCPD and they were short on chaperones," she explained. She then looked over at Barry, noticing that his hair was wet. "Well, Tardy-Pants, looks like you still haven't gotten the hang of using your speed to get places on time."

"Ha ha." Barry rolled his eyes. "Actually, I had to go out on a crime scene. The Mayor…" he trailed off as Cadence nodded. "It's really strange what happened. There are, like, absolutely no clues that tells us what happened to him." He looked around before lowering his voice. "It's like a metahuman is doing t or something. But I don't understand how it's happening because I couldn't find any clues."

"You must really enjoy the whole beating up metahuman thing," Cadence remarked. "Seems like you can't really go a day without it."

Barry gave a sheepish smile before it broke out into one of intense excitement. "There was one that we caught yesterday. A man that could turn himself into steel." Cadence's eyebrows rose as she realized it had to have been happening at about the same time that she, Lucas, and Leah had been in the Mayor's penthouse suite. "Crazy right? The best part is that he used to be my childhood tormenter, who is now sitting down in a cell underneath STAR Labs."

"Wow, must've been your childhood wet dream coming true," Cadence teased, laughing lightly at the slight look of shock that flashed over Barry's face at her choice of words, but couldn't help but smiling in agreement. "Being able to take down that bully that constantly tormented you."

"Yeah, but through that I think I managed to gain his respect a little," Barry admitted. He then shrugged as he glanced at Cadence.

"I get what you mean."

"Really? You were bullied?"

"You sound so surprised."

Barry paused for a moment, trying to figure out what to say without putting his foot in his mouth. Not that it was something he had ever been able to do even before he met her. His mouth got the best of him at the worst of times, allowing him to say the wrong thing and continue to try ad backtrack to make it better, which only made it worse, or he found that he couldn't stop talking until someone shot him a look of irritation or he picked up that no one knew what he was saying, nor cared. "I mean," he started. "Well, it's just…it doesn't like you're the type to be bullied."

She immediately thought back to when she had been six months pregnant and had study hall. Rather than sit in a classroom and have people constantly stare at her, she asked the teacher if she could go outside and sat down on a bench, reaching. Absentmindedly she started to rub her stomach every few seconds with her free hand. Every now and then she felt her baby—whom she hadn't named yet—kick against her stomach, seeing to follow the movement and warmth of her hand as she continued to rub her stomach. Every now and then some people would walk by and look at her but wouldn't say anything. She didn't mind the stares; she minded the whispers and the insults hurled her way.

Things wouldn't have been so bad if her boyfriend hadn't been told to stay away from her and if her friends hadn't fallen under the peer pressure to not be friend with her anymore. And as she continued to sit on the bench, minding her own business, more and more students went by and they continued to grow bolder, throwing trash at her, asking if they could have her next, saying anything that would cause anyone to break down into tears.

But Cadence ignored them all and continued to rub her stomach. "Don't worry," she whispered to her baby. "Don't worry about me; I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'll protect you."

As the memory faded and she turned her attention back to Barry, Cadence snorted. "Does being called a disease ridden whore count?" At Barry's shocked expression, she laughed. "That's actually some of the tamest things I've heard, but it's not a big deal. I have more important things to worry about."

Barry started to nod then his eyes drifted to the side and he stared at a spot across the room. Cadence followed his gaze then frowned when she didn't see anything other than police officers walking back and forth across the ground floor of the police station. She turned back to the speedy metahuman and reached out a hand, waving it in front of his face as the expression morphed into one of confusion and a bit of fear. "Barry? Barry." She continued to wave her hand before copying Brady from earlier and reaching out, grabbing onto his eyelid and pulling it upwards, hoping to get his attention. "Are you okay?"

"Miss. Nash?" Cadence turned towards Brady's teacher, Mr. Ingram, and brought her hand down from Barry's face. "We're going to meet up with Captain Singh right now, to start the tour."

"I'm coming," Cadence called back. She turned back to Barry and looked around before bringing her hands together and quickly separating them in front of his face, creating a quick flash fire. Barry jerked his head back and blinked rapidly in confusion as he came back to focus. "You alright, Bare?"

"Yeah." He swallowed thickly and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. It's just…I'm really late and I have to get going. But…I'll see you later, alright?" He didn't give Cadence a chance to answer before stepping around her and hurrying up to his lab.

Punching in the code that opened the door, Barry grabbed onto the handle of the door and pulled it open. He looked over his shoulder before going inside, glancing over at Cisco, who stood at the window, looking out over Central City as the metahuman came in. He turned as Barry went to his desk and flung his bag to the ground.

"Whoa, doesn't seem like you've been having a good morning," Cisco said as he watched his friend. "Did you only want me to come over to check out the view? Not that it's not sweet it's _so_ much better than the view from my office; I have a smoke stack. But still."

"Dude." Barry strode over to Cisco and lowered his voice. "It...It happened again. I don't know what's going on, but there's something really wrong and I think I might be going crazy. I don't know if it's a side-effect of my powers or if it's another metahuman or if I'm _truly_ going crazy. I really don't but it's starting to scare me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Cisco held up his hands as he tried to decipher everything that Barry had been telling him. "What's going on, man? You look like you haven't slept in days."

"That's my point," Barry hissed. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. "I don't know what's going on, but something is happening to me. I can't sleep. Every part of my body moves quickly; I can run fast, I can read fast, I can talk fast, go through things fast…and I can think fast."

"Really?" Cisco's eyes widened. "Does that mean that you can figure out math problems the second you look at them? Is that why you're such a good forensic scientist?"

Now Barry looked offended. "No," he said quickly. "I've always been good at it. I've had good motivation." He cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair. "No. No, when I try to sleep my brain doesn't want to shut off. I can go through math and science equations like no one's business. I run through so many thoughts, my brain doesn't shut off and I don't get sleep. And I know that one of the side-effects of not having enough sleep is hallucinations."

"Have you been having hallucinations?" Cisco asked.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "I don't know if _I'm_ seeing everything there because of my lack of sleep or if it's because of someone else…some metahuman that's keeping me from being my best. I don't know."

"What are you seeing?"

Barry paused for a long time. A think lump of emotion stuck to his throat as the image of his mother appeared in his head. His smiling mother. Deep down he _knew_ something was going on if he saw his dead mother. But his hope always managed to trump the worry, making him think that she was really there. The first time he had nearly walked out of the side of a building, the second and third times he had merely zoned out. What would happen if things got worse?

"My Mom," he finally replied. "Cisco, I've been seeing my Mom. And I know it's crazy but…it's like she's really there! I touched her hand once, it was warm and…and soft…and it was like she was there. I know she wasn't but she _was_!" He closed his eyes, turning his head away. Placing his hands on his hips he started to pace back and forth.

"Wait." Cisco then held up his hand. "Why'd you tell me? Have you told Dr. Wells or Caitlin?" He answered his own question. "Of course you haven't or else you wouldn't have come to me first." He then paused, eyes narrowing for a minute. "Not that I'm not a trustworthy person that shouldn't be told when things like this happen, but Dr. Wells knows a lot of things. He might be able to help you figure these things out better than I could."

Barry shook his head and dropped down into his eat. "No, Cisco. I don't want Dr. Wells or Caitlin to know about this, not yet. I mean maybe I'm overreacting to what's going on. I think you can help me."

"I'm a mechanical engineer, Barry," Cisco pointed out. "I can't do things like Caitlin can. Why don't I get her and—"He started to go and Barry zipped in front of him, causing his hair to whip out of his face. He grabbed onto Cisco's shoulders, holding him tightly in place.

"No!" He practically shouted. "No, Cisco, please don't! I'll be fine. You know Caitlin, she'll just worry and Dr. Wells will probably put me in some mental institution or something or tell Joe. And I can't have Joe worry about me any more than he already does. Please, just do this for me, Cisco. I need to run some tests or something. Just to make sure that I'm not really going crazy."

It was then he noticed the footsteps coming up behind him. From his calculations, whoever it was only heard the last part of his outburst. Thank God for small miracles, he noted.

"I think that's a bit debatable, Allen," Captain Singh's voice came from behind him, causing Barry to sigh in frustration as he lowered his head. He turned around and stood next to Cisco, watching as Captain Singh led the field trip into his lab. His voice held a tone of amusement though his face was as stern as ever. "It sounds to me like you're talking to yourself." His eyes shifted to Cisco. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Cisco Ramon," Barry explained quickly. His eyes moved over to Cadence, who stood at the back of the group, arms crossed over her chest, looking at him in concern. "He's a friend of mine, he works at STAR Labs." He then turned to the kids that were looking up at him curiously. "You guys know about STAR Labs, right?"

A little girl thrust her hand into the air. "Isn't STAR Labs that place that that scary hermit man lives at?" She asked.

Barry would've laughed at eth adorable question, like Cisco had, if it hadn't caused him to wince. There were too many things that reminded him of the day of the particle accelerator explosion. He had been standing in that same room, getting some last minute work done when the blast had come through the skylight and had given him powers his powers. And while he had been in his coma, he felt that time had moved pretty quickly, feeling that there was some kind of…force around him that reminded him to keep going; that he had things to come back to.

Cisco laughed loudly. "Man, I'm going to have to tell him that one," he remarked, causing Cadence to smile. "No, actually, he's not a scary, hermit man. He's just…had some problems relating to people for a while." He looked at Captain Singh and, noticing his stern expression, looked away. "You know what, I should be going, and I have some stuff I need to get done." He walked the long way around the room, being careful to stay clear of Captain Singh and went over to Cadence, quickly taking her aside. "Hey, I'm going to need your cell number," he said to her.

Cadence hesitated for a minute before pulling out her phone and started to make a new contact for him. "I tried calling your house before but no one answered and if we're going to get you and Barry to incident as quickly as we can—"

"Wait a minute," Cadence interrupted him. "You got the number to my apartment?" Her eyes flashed and she brought herself up to her full height—now appearing taller than an even five feet—as she stared Cisco down. "My address is unlisted." She paused and then stepped closer to him. "What did you do?" Her voice rose slightly, grabbing the attention of other chaperones around her.

"Look, Cadence, no need to blow up. We need to be in as close contact with you as we can get—"

"So why didn't you just ask?!"

Barry wined as he heard the sound of Cadence's voice continue to rise in volume. He noticed Captain Singh, who continued to give the tour of Barry's lab, shot her an annoyed glance. Barry turned his attention back to the group of kids as Brady threw his hand into the air.

"Barry! Barry!" He called waving his hand.

"How do you know him?" One of his classmates asked.

Brady paused for a second before replying, "Barry and Cisco are my friends. Barry, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Brady, go ahead." Barry said with an encouraging smile, periodically glancing over at Cadence and Cisco as Cadence continued to glare at Cisco. Every now and then, she turned her head to the side and sucked in a deep breath through her teeth, hands fluttering at her sides. He could see an orange-ish glow starting at her wrists and finger tips.

"Was this were you got struck by that lighting and was put into a coma?" He asked, pointing to a scorch mark on the floor underneath the sky light. He dropped his hands to his lap and looked up at Barry with nothing but innocent curiosity in his eyes.

"Uh, yeah it is," he replied. "I had been working on a case for the CCPD, actually," he said and Captain Singh, nodded, thankful that he had changed the subject back to the tour at hand. "Much like all of the other cases I work on, I do a lot of my forensic work in this lab. All of these beakers and vials hold the liquids that help me figure out the clues that have been left behind at the crime scene to help us figure out what happened."

"Like with the Mayor?" Another little girl with pigtails called out.

"Uh." Barry looked over at Captain Singh. "Yes, kind of. But I can't talk about that because it's an ongoing case. But I can tell you that we're going to do our best to make sure we figure out what happened." He looked over at Cisco, who waved his hand and motioned that he was leaving and nodded. "Are there any other questions?" He and Captain Singh talked a bit more about the work that Barry did with the CCPD before the group started to leave.

Barry waved to Brady before going over to Cadence. "What's going on? Why are you so angry?"

"I'm not angry!" She snapped at him. "I'll see you later." Barry watched, helplessly, as she left with the field trip. He would've gone after them, but had to stay at the lab.

He had a death to investigate.

* * *

 

Cadence let out a huff of annoyance as she walked down the streets of Central City. Thankfully the third grade class had stopped at Big Belly Burger for lunch. She quickly explained to Brady that she needed to leave for a few minutes and zipped as far away from the restaurant as she could. Her mind was too preoccupied with what to do.

Cisco had her home address and phone number, the last thing she had wanted any of them to know. If they knew where she lived, they would start coming by a lot. And if they dropped by the apartment, that just meant it would be too easy for them to find the money or find some sort of hint that she wasn't telling the truth about everything.

 _All of that hard work down the drain,_ she thought. She could feel her body temperature increase in the palms of her hands and shoved them deeper into the pocket of her jean jacket. _Everything you've done to have a better life has just crashed a burned._ She couldn't help but smile a little at her joke.

Then her smile faded as she tuned into the air around her. Everything was still. Something was off. Slowing to a walk, Cadence listened hard and quickly ducked out of the way as a metal boomerang went flying overhead. As it came back around she shot out a hand and sent a stream of fire towards it, knocking it to the ground. It laid smoking in the middle of the deserted street. She went over and picked it up, twisting it back and forth in her hands.

"What the fuck?" She murmured, recognizing the metal object. _A boomerang?_ Her attention was caught once more by a whipping sound and she looked up in time to see an arrow embed itself into the concrete of the building next to her. "An Arrow?" the word barely got out of her mouth before it exploded in front of her, sending her off her feet.

She twisted around in mid-air and landed on the ground in a low crouch. A red hooded figure landed on the ground next to her and started to swing a bow towards her, and she brought up her knee, quickly fending off the blow with a well-aimed kick, knocking the bow out of the figure's hand. The bow flew through the air and the red hooded figure decided to use his fists to attack instead. He brought his elbow around and stuck Cadence in the face and used her falling momentum to flip her onto her back on the ground.

Cadence brought her legs up and wrapped them around the figure's waist and brought her hands up and twisted them back until her palms were planted on the ground and she flipped herself back over so that the figure was now underneath her. Lifting a foot, she placed it on the figure's stomach and leveraged herself back up to her feet before springing backwards out of the way. The hooded figure reached out and grabbed onto the bow and strung a couple of arrows, letting them fly towards her. One struck her in the shoulder, causing her to let out a cry of pain, the other flying off to the side.

Cadence took a step back and crashed into the wall of the building behind her. She turned back as the figured rushed towards her, and faked a flip, bouncing off of the trash can nearby and springing himself towards her. _That does it._ Cadence's hands erupted into flames and she brought her arms up in a block, shoving the figure away from her. She twisted in a quick circle, shielding herself with the stream of fire that followed, and sent out a surge towards the figure. He slid underneath it and Cadence flipped forward and dropped her heel down, crashing into it and forcing it back to the ground.

The hooded figure flipped up and tried to strike her, but she teleported out of the way and turned back aiming a high kick at its head. The figure ducked and rolled out of the way. Cadence followed after him, running straight for the concrete wall. The hooded figure moved out of the way, once more but Cadence continued towards the concrete wall. She placed her hands on the wall and jumped up, using her forward momentum to bring her feet up and spin herself in a circle and back off of the wall, to face the hood figure as he charged towards her again.

She teleported out of the way as the hooded figure turned raced towards her once more and kicked it in the back, sending it forward. He turned and strung a couple more arrows and shot them towards the ground in front of her, causing it to erupt in smoke. Cadence backed away, quickly dispersing the smoke with a wave of her hand and moved a flaming fist forward, striking the figure in the chest at the exact moment he plunged another arrow into her shoulder. Feeling a quick shock, Cadence fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

All of a sudden Barry appeared at her side, pulling her back out of the way as the figure shakily propped itself up on his knee and pulled out more arrows. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

Cadence nodded, breathing heavily through her teeth. Her blood pumped through her veins, a vein on her forehead started to throb and the fire around her hands increased in intensity. All of a sudden, another arrow shot out from the sky and landed on the ground between them. Barry and Cadence twisted around to find a green hooded figure standing on the roof of a nearby building.

"That's enough!" His gruff voice echoed over the air around them. "This is not a fight that needs to be had." He lowered his bow and turned to Barry, lifting his chin in a nod. "Nice mask," he called.

Barry grinned.


	17. Trust Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story and the rest of The Flash and The Flame series can be found in full (the fourth story is a work in progress) on the Fanfiction.net profile, DarkElements10. Please keep in mind this story was originally posted on FFN in October 2014 and finished November 2015, so some things need to be changed/fixed as the story goes on. I hope you guys enjoy it and feel free to follow my adjoining tumblr posts at purple-and-red-ribbons.tumblr.com.

**.:17:.**

* * *

 

Felicity stretched her arms above her head as she looked over the barren area of the outskirts of Central City. The cool breeze that drifted over the grassy area like a blanket causing her to pull her jacket together around her. It wasn't like Starling City where the city lights were so bright there was hardly an absence of light. Much like a little kid that was afraid of the dark, Starling City always had its light shining as a sense of comfort. Central City, on the other hand, was different a night. More lights went out so the true beauty of the world shone through.

She let out a deep breath before turning back and starting to pace back and forth as she waited or Oliver and Roy to join them. It was a bit strange to be back in Central City, especially as everything around reminded her of Barry. She couldn't wait to see him again, but there was a part of her that was nervous.

Bringing her delicate fingers up, she gently pressed them against the seam of her lips. She still remembered the way Barry's lips had felt pressed against hers as they kissed. It was one of the best kisses of her life, couldn't even compare to the way that she had kissed Connor. When she was with him, she felt that they really did love each other, but there were parts of her that couldn't keep up with the fast paced life that he had. He took risks with their projects and hobbies and she made sure to stay within her boundaries always making sure she didn't get too far in things.

But with Barry…it was complicated. They had so much in common; they had the same interests, hobbies, same sense of intelligence and similar backgrounds in their fields of study. And it was no question they were attracted to each other. But…it still wasn't going to work. Not because they were bad for each other, in fact they both perfectly acknowledged they would be absolutely perfect for each other, they were pinning for others that wouldn't allow them to think about anyone else.

The kiss that they shared, it had just been a way to say 'goodbye' both to each other at the time a she was on a train back to Starling City, and to say 'goodbye' to any chance they would have being together. But still, she couldn't stop her heart from racing whenever she thought about it, about him. And now being back in Central City when she was—probably literally—seconds away from seeing him again, made more butterflies erupt in her stomach than watching Oliver work the salmon ladder managed to give her.

"Felicity, you're brooding," Diggle pointed out, standing beside her on the porch of the dilapidated abandoned warehouse they had decided to meet Oliver at. It wouldn't help if anyone saw them there, and started to ask question when the Arrow was running around. "I'm sure that things between you and Oliver are going to be okay."

Felicity stopped on a dime and turned back to Diggle, who shook a small carton of fries from Big Belly Burger in his hand. He looked up at her, waiting for her response, as her eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "Oliver? Who said anything about Oliver? I'm sure his name and many other words haven't come out of my mouth in the last five minutes. Unless,"—she paused to think—"I'm doing that thing where I think out loud again."

"If you thought out loud I'm sure there would be a list as long as the Great Wall of China of people you've managed to accidentally offend or make feel awkward." Diggle gave her an amused smile. "Besides, I meant that you wear your heart on your sleeve. Everything you think or feel is always written on your face. Which reminds me to tell you that you should probably make sure that you at least _try_ to hide it when you're openly ogling Oliver when he's working out." Felicity fiddled with her glasses, turning away as Diggle chuckled lightly. He then cleared his throat. "What I mean is, you're obviously worrying about whether or not Oliver will find out about what happened between you and Barry."

Now Felicity rolled her eyes as she turned back to her friend. " _Nothing_ happened between me and Barry, Diggle, remember? We just…shared one kiss and some fun here in Central City but otherwise, he has his eyes on Iris, right?"

"And that doesn't bother you."

"No."

"That was a very unsure 'no'."

Felicity took in a deep breath and let it out. "Look, there's nothing between me and Barry and as far as Oliver is concerned there never was me and Barry. If I feel that it's something he needs to know…I'll tell him. Otherwise, there's not even a me and Oliver." She paused. "Or would the correct formatting be Oliver and I?"

"Nevertheless, Felicity, you _want_ there to be a you and Oliver," Diggle continued. He shrugged and dropped his now empty box of fries and reached over, picking up a box that was supposed to be for the Green and Red Arrows and started in on them. "And I know how Oliver is when it comes to the people that he's managed to bring close to him over the past couple of years. Just give it time."

Felicity's eyebrows rose slightly but she, otherwise, ignored the statement and reached out, grabbing onto a cup of soda that sat atop a barrel nearby. She took a long sip and walked to the edge of the porch, looking up at the stairs. _And couples like to look at this romantically?_ She thought a bit skeptically, still thinking about what Diggle had said to her. _It' just a bunch of gas and space dust waiting for their time to go out._ She cringed at her own choice of words. _Shut up, Felicity._

Thankfully, the sound of roaring engines caught her attention and she turned, seeing the headlight of a motorcycle come up the darkened path towards the warehouse. Felicity let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Oliver and Roy on the back of the motorcycle. Then another part of her felt the same sense of longing she had always started to feel recently, especially when it came to men on motorcycles. Before meeting Oliver she had seen them only as metal death traps that men in their forties used to try and act like they weren't about to turn fifty, and younger men used to act like they were men and were 'cool'.

Now she had the image of herself on the back of a bike, her arms wrapped around a faceless man's face, the wind rushing through her hair. Then again, no one would ever expect her past if she ever explained it, so no one would probably think she'd be a girl that wanted to go on a motorcycle either.

"Diggle, they're here," she said to her friend and took a few steps back waiting for the bike to get closer. She blinked as there was a sudden rush of red light and a strong wind that pulled her hair back out of her face.

Then she became aware of a presence by her side, a startled cry, the sound of fries hitting the wooden structure under her feet, and an amused laugh. Turning slightly to the side she watched as Barry walked over towards her, pulling back the hood of his suit. Even before he revealed his face Felicity was smiling, and as she turned back to Diggle she giggle noticing the stunned expression on his face.

"Seriously, that never gets old," Barry said as he smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. He then nodded over to Oliver and Roy, who slowed to a stop on the motorcycle. "And I gave them nearly a half hour head start and I still got here before they did."

"I'm sure it's enough to keep you entertained for hours," Felicity remarked, matching his amused tone. She reached over and waved a hand in front of Diggle's face as he continued to stare at Barry in shock.

"Well, nothing was better than your yelp."

"And it's the only time you'll hear it."

Barry laughed and lowered his arms from the crossed position. "Hey Felicity."

"Hey, Barry," she replied with a smile. Then her eyes shifted to the stern faces coming up behind Barry and took a step back. "Am I correct in assuming that something went wrong? Then again, you don't usually have any other expression on your face." Oliver stopped at her side, tilting his head as he looked down at her and Felicity grimaced. "Too soon to joke got it."

Oliver nodded and sucked in a quick breath before turning to Roy, who appeared to try to avoid his gaze much like a little kid that had just been caught doing something wrong by his parents. "How many times have I told you to case your surroundings and check to make sure that you know everything before making a move?"

Now Roy let out a long sigh as he lifted his head. "I'm sorry," he said calmly. "I told you, I saw the boomerang in her hand, and I thought she might know something. Besides, how was I supposed to know she had the ability to control fire? Or knew how to fight like that."

"Wait a minute." Glancing back and forth between the three heroes, Felicity held her hands up. "Who are we talking about here?"

"Her name's Cadence," Barry explained. "Cadence Nash." Oliver made a sound that grabbed everyone's attention for a moment, but he lifted a hand, allowing Barry to continue. "She's a friend of mine…and Roy shishkabobed her with a couple of arrows." Roy shot Barry and unamused glance and he tried to hide his smile, failing at hiding the humor of the situation.

"You shot arrows at her?"

"You're fast." Oliver, Roy, and Barry turned to Diggle who finally found his voice and stared at him. He blinked, coming back to life and turned away, picking up the last box of fries. "Sorry, I see I interrupted something. Go ahead."

Felicity raised an eyebrow and turned towards Roy, waiting for his explanation. She lifted her cup of soda from Big Belly Burger to her mouth and took a long sip before exchanging a glance with Diggle, who was sticking another finger full of fries into his mouth. "At a fire metahuman?" She then paused and turned to Barry. "I don't expect that went very well."

"Yeah, it's sort of my fault," Barry admitted, bringing a hand up and rubbing his neck. "Everything with this…her powers…I forgot to mention, since you left, that we had met her and everything." He turned to Roy who had a hard look on his face, arms crossed over the chest of his red suit. "Sorry, man, I should've said something sooner."

"It certainly would've kept me from getting my face bashed into a brick wall," Roy commented, bringing up a hand and pulling back his hood to reveal a couple of cuts and scrapes across his forehead as well as an eye that steadily bruised. "But, Oliver is right. I should've at least checked to make sure that things were okay before I acted. I'm sorry."

There was another sudden gust of wind and the group turned to see Cadence walking up the steps of the warehouse, holding onto Brady's shoulder. "Seriously, Barry, you can be such a showoff, you know that?" Her eyes shifted around the group them focused on Oliver, who seemed to start in recognition. "Oliver?"

There was a moment of silence before Oliver slowly started to smile. "It's good to see you again, Cadence."

"Same to you."

"Wait a minute. You two…know each other?" Felicity looked back and forth between the two before looking Cadence up and down. _Of course she would know Oliver. Every girl that seems to come around him has fallen for his charm one way or another._ At the brief pause that accompanied her thought, she noticed Brady biting his lower lip as he exchanged a glance with Cadence, Oliver and Roy looked at their feet as they smiled, and Barry move to cover his mouth with his hand. Then realization dawned on the blonde and she closed her eyes, mortified, refusing to peek them open and check to see what Oliver's expression was. "I…just said that out loud didn't I?"

"You really have to work on that filter," Diggle said.

"I don't think you can when it's non-existent," Barry remarked, causing Roy to laugh.

Cadence brushed her hair back out of her face as she cast a glance at Felicity, unsmiling. "I…really don't know how to take that. But, Oliver and I—"she pointed at him—"only know each other because of our fathers. They worked together on a few projects when we were growing up and that's how I met him. Oh I don't really _know_ him, as you implied."

"Whoa, so you're a billionaire too?" Barry asked her.

Cadence shook her head. "Not even close, just that…my parents are very well known in the community back in Metropolis. And Queen Industries was stationed there before moving to Starling."

"Mostly at the large parties that my parents insisted we threw." Oliver cleared his throat and turned his gaze down towards Brady. "Though I don't believe that this little guy remembers me. How are you, Brady?"

"Good," Brady replied, shyly. He stuck by his mother's side, not speaking despite seeming comfortable with Barry nearby.

"Oh, so you know her brother, too?"

Barry's questioned caused Oliver's eyebrows to rise even further before he stared directly at Cadence, who lowered her eyes before looking up at him through her eyelashes and her fringe, gently chewing her lower lip. Then Oliver nodded so slightly the movement was undetectable to anyone else. "Like I said; he probably doesn't remember me."

"Wait, so what are you guys doing here, anyway?" Barry ran a hand over his face, trying to wrap everything around his head. But the ever present smile was on his face. "Wait. Sorry." He turned to Cadence and Brady. "Guys, this is Felicity Smoak, John Diggle, Roy Harper, and you already know Oliver. Guys, this is Cadence and her brother, Brady."

"Oliver, _you're_ the Arrow?" Cadence asked.

"Uh-huh."

Cadence's eyes flicked over Roy's face before she turned to Barry, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting out her hip. "You could've at least warned me before Little Red Riding Hood over there shoved an arrow in my face!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think they'd be out here," Barry defended himself.

"Little Red Riding Hood?" Roy repeated.

"Good one!" Brady grinned. He went over to the barrel and peered at the food that was sitting in the Big Belly Burger bag. "Can I have some fries?"

" _May_ I have some fries," Cadence instantly corrected him.

"May I have some fries?"

Felicity nodded and handed him the bag of food which he eagerly tore into. She ran her hands over her face, now a little bit overwhelmed. This was a lot of information to take in, especially the case they were following and the fact that Oliver didn't appear to be too concerned that two more people had just found out his secret identity as the Vigilante. "To answer your question, Barry," she said. "There's a case that we had been following back in Starling City. A murder case that deals with an arrow as a murder weapon."

"That thing that almost took my head off you mean?" Cadence asked. "I mean, apart from the _arrow_!"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Now Roy sounded exasperated.

"There were traces of iron oxide on it," Felicity explained. "And I figured that since Central City has the highest rate of iron oxide—"

"Isn't that rust?" Brady broke in, alleys turning to him.

"He's really good at science," Cadence remarked. "Surprise, surprise."

"But that's not the only reason that we're here," Diggle continued. He clasped his hands together behind his back in a military pose. "There is also reason for us to believe that the Suicide Squad has come to Central City and are planning something big." Cadence's eyebrows furrowed together as she and Barry listened to what he had to say. "We don't know what they're after, but knowing Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad and what they're capable of… it can't be good."

"Do you…think this is something that we need to bring up to the CCPD?" Barry asked slowly.

"Sound more like something that you guys at STAR Labs could figure out," Felicity said quickly. Oliver cast her a disapproving glance and she rushed to continue. "Use the facial recognition processes that you have on the computers to figure out how to follow those that are part of the Suicide Squad and watch them until we figure out what they're planning and with whom."

"We don't have facial recognition software at STAR Labs," Barry said.

"Really? That would put you light-years ahead and—"Felicity broke off when Oliver now openly glared at her. "That's not the point. The point is that we need to get to STAR Labs so that we can warn them about the Suicide Squad."

"I think we can handle this ourselves, actually," Oliver said quietly. Roy and Felicity exchanged a confused glance. "I know that they have the means and operations to help us, much like what we have back in Starling. But I don't need anyone else to know about my secret identity."

"But wouldn't it be better to have more people to help us find these people rather than try and go alone when we don't know where to even begin looking?" Roy asked, scratching his head.

"He has a point, Oliver," Diggle pointed out.

"As do I. And it's my secret to keep and I'm the one that decides whether or not we work with them." Oliver turned to Barry and gently shook his head. "I'm sorry, but this is the time we're going to go it alone, especially as we have to figure out the murders with the boomerang as well."

"Oliver—"Roy started, but stopped when Oliver made a motion that proved that the conversation really was over. He looked dismayed and Cadence must've picked up on it because she said in a slightly mocking tone, "Aww, are you upset because someone stole your basket of goodies for grandma?"

"Cade," Barry admonished her.

"Sorry, but I think I deserve to be a little bit irritated at being shot by arrows. Who even does that?" Cadence looked over at Brady and her face softened as he finished the blast box of fries and dusted off his hands before going back to over to her, saying 'thank you' over his shoulder to Felicity. "No offense, Oliver."

He held up a hand showing that none was taken.

Felicity sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't get it. Oliver had no problems revealing his identity when it needed to be revealed. He had no problems working for the greater good and in this case, the greater good was helping keep everyone in Central City safe. If the Suicide Squad were endangering them, she didn't think that Oliver would take a step back and just leave things the way they were. _Something's not right here,_ she thought as she watched her friend. _Something he's not saying._ She thought she and Oliver and Diggle were close enough that they would tell each other everything, but maybe not.

 _Maybe he's still as secretive as ever,_ she realized. And the thought alone caused her heart to drop. This was the guy she had supported as long as she had known he was the vigilante; she had given most of her recent life to this and was honest about a lot of the things he was feeling…and he couldn't do the same. _Maybe you should've stuck with Barry…even though he seems to have enough people vying for his attention._

Felicity brought herself up to her full height and rolled her shoulders back. "I'm going to STAR Labs," she announced. "And you guys can come with me or stay behind, but I'm going. Drop me off or whatever." Picking up her purse, she slung it over her shoulder and started to stalk down the steps and onto the cold, grassy area. She ignored the drops of rain that started to fall over her. _Of course._ "I'll see you later."

All of a sudden she felt Barry's arms wrap around her and she was lifted into his arms before looking into his grinning face. Startled, she looked back towards Oliver who looked back at her, eyes aflame with…something.

"I'll give you a lift," Barry declared and before she could protest he was off.

"Barry!" Cadence yelled after him before smiling to herself. She turned to Brady. "He really likes to show off, doesn't he?"

"Almost as much as you do," Brady shot back with a grin that matched hers.

Cadence reached out and cuffed him on the back of the head before crouching down and allowing him to climb onto her back in a piggyback ride. She then turned to Oliver, Diggle, and Roy. "It was nice to meet you…even though it was under strange circumstances." She turned and walked off the steps of the warehouse and as the rain started to fall around her, it steamed up, keeping her and Brady dry.

She started to move at a quicker pace, easing into the speed that would move her into her enhanced speed, but stopped when Brady started to tap her on the back. "Momma," he said quietly. "Oliver's coming." He then sat up straight on his mother's back and watched as the Green Arrow approached. "Does he know you're my Mom?"

"Yes, he knows," Cadence said as she turned to face him. _Thank God._

Finally someone she could relax around. Finally someone that knew about him and she didn't have to be so uptight and worried about. Finally there was someone she could be herself around…besides Barry. Knowing there was another metahuman she could talk to, who understood what she meant when she complained about some things, who just 'got it' was so refreshing and relaxing.

She hadn't been herself in such a long time that it was a foreign concept to her; at least it was getting easier.

Oliver slowed to a stop beside her and looked at Brady for a long moment before turning his gaze to Cadence. "Why do I get the feeling that you don't intend to tell them about Brady anytime soon?"

"Sorry, Oliver, I don't think coming right out and saying 'oh by the way, by brother is my son' will bring up a very good conversation," Cadence shot back. "Especially considering I'd then have to explain _everything_ that happened and I don't want to get into that."

"And you think that's healthy?"

"Look, we're fine the way we are," Cadence said, shifting Brady up her back as he continued to hold on around her neck. "When I feel it's time for them to know the truth, when I think I won't be judged for it…I'll tell them. Besides, the only reason you know if because rich people like to gossip as much as they like to play golf. Which I don't get either."

Now Oliver chuckled, a small smile gracing his features. "You're still mad that you were the only one that nearly got to one hundred strokes in mini-golf for Thea's birthday."

"It was the windmill not me," Cadence defended herself. "How's Thea doing, by the way? Since you disappeared…I wasn't sure if she wanted to talk…"

"Thea's doing fine," Oliver said with a nod. "She asks about you every now and then. But she's doing fine." He paused. "Are you?"

"Momma and I are doing fine," Brady said, looking up at Oliver. "She does her best to protect me and I do the same for her." Cadence laughed lightly as Brady leaned his cheek down next to his mother's and gently rubbed it with his own. She remembered doing that a lot when he was still an infant, a growing toddler. Whenever he wanted some comfort or to be sure she was there, he would stick his face out and she would do the same and rub her face against his. He hadn't done it a lot since coming out of his toddler years, but it still managed to make her heart melt.

Then Cadence flashed Oliver a genuine smile, a dimple appearing in her cheek. "I'm doing fine, Oliver. But thanks for asking." She turned to go and once again, Oliver stopped her.

"Which way to STAR Labs?"

Cadence tilted her head. "Follow me."

When she, Brady, Oliver, Diggle, and Roy arrived at STAR Labs, Barry and Felicity had filled in Cisco, Caitlin, and Wells in on everything that Oliver had said to them. As the group walked into the main area of STAR Labs, Cisco's eyes widened as he looked at Oliver.

"I knew it!" He declared. "I knew that Oliver was the Green Arrow." He held up his hands, turning to Caitlin. "Didn't I call it? I said that Oliver was the Green Arrow. He's the top on my list of one hundred people and I was right!"

Caitlin, who sat in an office chair by a computer, rolled her eyes as she gently pushed herself back and forth. "You were right, Cisco," she said to him as Felicity walked over and sat in an office chair beside her. "Boys."

"I know, right," Felicity agreed. "Can't live with them…don't even _want_ to try living without them." Her statement caused the two girls to laugh as Roy, Oliver, and Diggle looked around STAR Labs. She then looked over at Harrison, who sat calmly in the corner of the room, and caught his eye. He nodded at her and she smiled.

"I understand that you request our assistance in a case?" Harrison asked. He moved his eyes over to Oliver and tilted his head to the side. "I'm not surprised to know that you are the identity of the Arrow," he said. "I've heard…so much about you." He shifted in his wheelchair, his face suddenly a dark mask. "Thing that I'm sure you understand, have brought me some concern such as shooting my…colleague here with an arrow." He turned towards Cadence, who dropped Brady to the ground and motioned for him to go sit down before standing with the others. "I trust you don't mind that Dr. Snow checks to make sure that everything is in order after having been shot by their…rather interesting set of arrows. I understand there was some sort of electromagnetic current in the one you were struck with."

"Temporary paralysis in an arrow," Roy agreed. "It's especially useful when you're trying to get arrows out of someone that won't cooperate."

Cadence's eyebrows twitched in irritation. "Listen American Eagle,"

"I prefer Abercrombie, actually," Roy said with a slight smirk.

"Miss. Nash, please allow Dr. Snow to check your vitals and the repercussions of said arrows on your body," Harrison interrupted, tilting his head over towards Caitlin, who dutifully got up from her seat and went to get her first-aid kit from her computer desk. "Mr. Queen, as I was saying—"he cut his eyes back over towards Cadence who insisted she was fine. "I wasn't asking and I'm not going to ask again."

"For someone that went into pediatrics, you really seem to be afraid of getting a quick check up," Cisco remarked with a light laugh. Cadence glared at him and he quickly backed away, holding up his hands as Caitlin moved to her side, the open first-aid kit in her hand. "Geez. And I thought Wells was scary when he was mad."

Caitlin suddenly jerked back in surprise as she looked over at Cadence, who squinted her right eye, looking up at the doctor in confusion. "Sorry," Caitlin apologized. "I thought I saw a bug."

"Where!?" Cadence frantically started to pat herself, and pull at her hair until Caitlin calmed her down enough to look at the areas that she had been stuck with the arrows.

Oliver, who had been waiting for his chance to speak, finally turned back to Harrison with an unreadable expression on his face. "I don't expect you or anyone to trust the things I've done in the past to make sure that my city is safe."

"Being wanted for murder in at least twelve different cases and at least two terrorist attacks since you became active, Mr. Queen. So please understand that I do question your motives especially when it comes to my colleagues."

Barry frowned before taking a step forward. "He's not like that anymore, Dr. Wells," he protested. "Oliver…he's a hero. Starling City doesn't have a problem with him anymore, they like him now!"

"If you want to think that he's a hero, so be it," Harrison said to Barry. "However I'm sure Mr. Queen will understand as he isn't very…forgiving in the means of those that may want to know his identity as the case may be. Unless you believe there's a really good chance I should trust him, he's not the kind of hero I think you should be looking up to."

"With all due respect, Dr. Wells, I don't particularly put my trust in anyone as much as you do." Oliver placed his hands in his jeans pockets and started to pace back and forth. "And for that matter, I agree that I don't particularly trust that you can help me as well. But trust is something that's earned, such as what I needed Diggle, Felicity, Roy, and even Barry to do before I felt they were people that weren't going to hurt me in the end. Please not that I have the same ill feelings about you than you do for me, but there's something I think you should become aware of."

Harrison leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "And what is that, Mr. Queen?"

"The Suicide Squad," Diggle spoke up. "Through my contacts I've learned that they came here to Central City. And if they're here it means there's something here they're after. I'm not sure what, but it has to be something that's especially important."

"Like what? A diamond?" Brady spoke up.

Roy gave him a half smile. "We're not sure of the target in subject, yet, but it is suspicious. If the Suicide Squad is as bad as Diggle says it is,"—he looked over at Diggle for affirmation, who nodded in response—"then it's something that you all need to be aware of."

"And what, may I ask, are we doing for you in return?" Harrison continued. "I don't doubt that there's something else that'll be a cover as to why you're here if asked."

"We have this," —Felicity opened her purse and pulled out a metallic boomerang, which immediately caught Cisco's and Brady's attention—"Boomerang that we thought may have been manufactured here, judging by the chemical components we've found. It's tied to a string of murders. If we can find the manufacturer, we can trace it to the criminal."

Cisco went over and grabbed the boomerang from Felicity's hand, looking it over. "Ooh, I have to run some tests on this right now," he declared. "Everything. I have to know everything that this thing can do, is made of, how to replicate it. It'd be an amazing weapon in our arsenal."

"Can I watch?" Brady looked over at Cadence for confirmation, who was still getting check out by Caitlin, and beamed when she nodded and he hurried after Cisco, and Felicity, who walked over to the lab portion of the main floor to start working on it.

Once they left Barry turned back to Dr. Wells, his lower jaw set, eyes flashing. "I don't care what you have to say about what Oliver has done in the past," he said in a low tone of voice. "But he isn't that way anymore. He actually helps a lot of people. He's the kind of person I wish I could be on a good day, someone that trusts his instincts and doesn't hesitate when he needs to make a quick decision. Something like this, we can really help him. And maybe…maybe he can help us in some way, too."

"Barry, you don't have to defend me," Oliver started.

"Yes, I do," Barry insisted. "People change!"

"And some don't, Mr. Allen. So I'd implore you to see my hesitation from all sides rather than just from one biased opinion." He took off his glasses and rubbed the lenses for a long time before stating, "Though I can admit, at times, I do have similar biases. For some more personal matters than friendship." A dimple appeared in his cheek as he smiled an eerie smile.

Barry shook his head, but turned away from Dr. Wells. He wasn't particularly surprised that the doctor had some qualms about Oliver Queen and his work as the Arrow; he had been the same way with Bette Sans Souci, noting that she had a great chance of turning evil, or being used by Eiling after not being able to There was a long moment of silence before Oliver looked down at his feet. He gently licked his lips before clamping his top teeth down on the bottom one.

"You don't have to trust me," he said quietly. "And I didn't have to come here to ask for your help. I will not be able to look at myself in the mirror and ignored what was going on here in Central City if you were not prepared for it. We'll work to try and figure out what the Suicide Squad is doing _and_ try to figure out what's going on with our suspect. Once that is all said and done, we'll go back to Starling. Until then, you don't have to see me."

Oliver looked over at Barry. "I'll let you know when we're leaving." He turned on his heel and left the lab floor. Roy hesitated a moment before following them. Diggle went to the back room and fetched Felicity before the two left as well. Barry watched them leave and turned back to Dr. Wells to say something to him, but then stopped, shaking his head.

"I don't agree with your decision," he said. "I _know_ Oliver. I know he's a great person; he's just rough around the edges. He can do so much…we can help him out with this…to save Central City."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Allen, but my mind is made."

Barry scoffed as he shook his head. He started to say something else to Dr. Wells, but then changed his mind and zoomed out of STAR Labs. Harrison turned his wheelchair around and maneuvered himself out of the room. The level of STAR Labs was quiet as Caitlin finished working on Cadence and the fire metahuman and Brady left. Then Cisco left to go back home, stating he was going to be late for a guild raid on WoW, leaving Caitlin to finish up her work.

She stayed a bit late, to make sure that her suspicions weren't just that, suspicions. She had to know for sure if what had made her so startled was true. She already had some questions she was hoping Harrison would answer, especially after their last conversation. Now, after the blood work and some other simple tests…she just needed to hear it straight from him. To unveil another level of the mysterious Harrison Wells she was sure no one else knew.

Taking a deep breath, Caitlin turned off the lamp above her desk and picked up her jacket, folding it over her arm before slowly starting to make her way towards Harrison's office. She moved as slowly as she could, part of her wanting to put it off as much as she could because it wasn't her business. But there was an even bigger part of her, the scientist past that needed to know.

Arriving at his office, Caitlin took a deep breath before reaching out and knocking on the door. "Dr. Wells, there's something I need to speak to you about."

There was a shuffling sound and then Harrison responded, "I'm busy right now, Caitlin."

"It's really important, Dr. Wells. I wouldn't bother you if I didn't think it was something that needs to be addressed at the moment." There was even more rustling sounds and then the drawer opening and closing. Caitlin took a step back as she heard the sound of his wheels grinding across the floor and the door opened outward.

Harrison looked up at her quietly, his blue eyes boring into hers.

Caitlin took a deep breath. "I know all of this will sound strange, or like it's come out of nowhere, and I know you're very secretive and have no reason to lie. I trust you and everything that you think you need to do to make sure that STAR Labs is a success but there's something that's been on my mind since Cadence got here."

Harrison raised an eyebrow. "I assure you that she and I are not dating as you and Cisco wrongfully thought." He cleared his throat, appearing still amused by the idea. "Not that I don't find her type to be one that is very energetic and fun, if not a bit temperamental, I prefer the studious type."

This caused Caitlin to pause for a minute, eyebrows furrowing together. _Why is he smiling at me like that?_ For a minute, Caitlin found herself lost in Harrison's eyes, her mind running a mile a minute, suddenly wondering what it would be like to go out on a date with him, wheelchair aside. Then she shook her head, forcing the thoughts out of her head. _It's not appropriate,_ she told herself. _He's your mentor and someone that you've worked with for so long._

"I see I've flustered you, Caitlin, I'm sorry. You wanted to talk about something."

His use of her name brought her back to attention, suddenly realizing that he had called her 'Dr. Snow' when they were around other people but 'Caitlin' when alone. She had to force herself not to get sucked into the thought that it meant something before taking a deep breath, strengthening herself once more.

"Ever since Cadence arrived…things have been strange," Caitlin started. "Not that she hasn't brought a sense of…excitement into our live the same way Barry has. And he's excited he's finally found someone that he can relate to. But, like I said, something's been off and I couldn't put my finger on it. I had some of her blood tests and Barry's and when I was cross referencing them with yours, mine, and Cisco's, I found something weird. Even then it didn't really occur to me what it is and I'm a bioengineer, or that I didn't _want_ to notice it. And then as things continued on, I kept noticing more things. Not only are you harsher on her than Barry, but you'll quickly reign her in whenever her temper gets the better of her or that she's doing something that you disapprove of…and then something Cisco said today caught my attention."

Harrison nodded.

"When she was mad, he said it reminded him of you. That really startled me because I thought back to when we were watching her and Barry fight. The way she said she was stronger than Barry, faster…it reminded me or when you were yelling at Cisco about the cold gun, almost same diction, same inflection on words…"

_"Like father like daughter," Harrison remarked with a light shake of his head. "I should've known from the beginning that she could have the ability to use her emotions to strengthen or weaken her power. It appears that she's managed to control that ability for the most part. But when she loses control…"_

_"Are you telling me her father gets that angry, too?" Cisco asked, eyes widening._

_Brady nodded. "Mhm. But he doesn't have powers."_

_Caitlin leaned towards Harrison. Her hair brushing his shoulder caused him to slightly turn towards her, ignoring the slight twitch of movement in his legs. As she spoke her voice was soft with worry from what she had just seen. "I don't mean to speak out of turn, but as a reminder, it's not right to think it came from her father, as it could be passed down from her mother as well."_

_Harrison hid a secret smile. "Precisely."_

"You weren't referring to Cadence's mother," Caitlin explained. "Not…"

"Maya," Harrison supplied. "Maya Nash."

"You weren't referring to Maya at all, and then when you told me about Tess…it occurred to me that you might've been speaking about someone else." She paused, waiting for Harrison to say something. To say she was wrong, to further her along with her thoughts, to do or say something. But he continued to look up at her, his electric blue eyes paralyzing her with little effort. And as he continued to stay silent, silently pushing her, as he always had with her work, she knew her suspicions had been correct.

"It's true isn't it?" Caitlin finally asked. "You're Cadence's father."

Harrison nodded. "I am."


	18. One Step Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story and the rest of The Flash and The Flame series can be found in full (the fourth story is a work in progress) on the Fanfiction.net profile, DarkElements10. Please keep in mind this story was originally posted on FFN in October 2014 and finished November 2015, so some things need to be changed/fixed as the story goes on. I hope you guys enjoy it and feel free to follow my adjoining tumblr posts at purple-and-red-ribbons.tumblr.com.

**.:18:.**

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When Barry walked into Jitters for his normal first morning coffee, he was surprised to find Iris sitting at a table, gently pushing a cup back and forth in her hands. Her head was tilted forward, raven hair enveloping her face like a curtain. Even from where he was standing, Barry could tell from the way her shoulders were hunched up that she was only seconds away from unleashing her fury out on whomever was the next to come near her.

Putting up his defenses, Barry slowly moved over towards the table. "Do you want me to sit down or are you going to pull a rogue AK-47 out from underneath the table and shoot me?" He held up his hands defensively as he smiled. "If that's the case then I'm letting you know that I have a bullet proof vest on under my clothes. It's basically part of our dress code."

Iris smiled a little as she looked up at him. "If that were the case, Barry, then your chest would be about three times bigger."

Mouth twitching in a sudden spasm, Barry looked down at his chest before a wounded expression slid onto his face. "My chest isn't that small. I've been working out." He sat down in the seat across from her and pulled the collar of his shirt away and looked down it. "Sure wish that lightning didn't just target my abs."

Iris's nose wrinkled and she flicked her hair out of her face with a quick shake of her head. "What?"

Lifting his head, Barry slowly moved his hand away from the collar of his shirt, patting it back down against his collarbone. "Uh…" his eyes shifted back and forth before she shook his head, mimicking a bobble head. "No…I, uh, I didn't say anything. Nope. Anyway, what's wrong? You look like Joe just ate the last of your brownies or something."

"He did," Iris said sullenly. "But that's not the problem." She let out a sigh and pushed her cup of coffee away from her, watching as the steam twisted and danced up into the air in thin ribbons. "Eddie and I are in a fight…I guess…I don't know. But things are kind of tense between us right now."

Barry pressed his fingertips into the arms of his chair, hidden underneath the table top to keep himself from leaping out of the chair and zooming around the coffee shop in delight. Not that he had _wanted_ her to be unhappy. He never wanted to see a sad frown on her face, hurt in her eyes, or tears trickling down her cheeks. Anyone that managed to do that to her he immediately had the feeling of wanting to protect her from everything that came to hurt her. But if Eddie had been the one to push her away, then he was just fine with that.

"Really?" He cleared his throat, sitting back in his seat. He tried his best not to have a smile appear on his face. To the point he brought his hand up to his mouth to appear pensive, but came across as looking like he was about to laugh.

Iris gave him a pointed stare before reaching out and hitting him on the arm.

"Ow!"

"Barry, it's not funny!"

"I wasn't laughing," He defended himself. "Man." Bringing a hand up to his wound, he gently kneaded the skin, though it was already starting to heal itself. He was suddenly grateful that it was too cold for him to be in shorts or else he'd have to be extra careful. "I feel sorry for whoever is dumb enough to try and rob you." Iris managed to give a small smile and Barry leaned forward. "I wasn't laughing at you, I was…just thinking. I mean, you and Eddie seem like you're…perfect for each other." He frowned, realizing there wasn't a twinge of annoyance that flashed through his body when he said that.

"I thought so too," Iris agreed. "I mean, we are. It's just…" she let out a sigh. "There are times where I can see good things coming from being with Eddie. He's so supportive of the things I want to do. He was so nice…when I was afraid to tell people we were together, and patient. You know I haven't dated much growing up."

"Yeah, but you had enough guys chasing after you," Barry pointed out. "Football players, the guys from the chess club, some of _my_ friends…which was awkward enough." He shifted in his chair and crossed his legs. "But you never really gave any sort of attention to a lot of people. Other than Weird Steve."

"You nicknamed him Weird Steve?" Iris demanded.

"No, your _Dad_ nicknamed him Weird Steve. It stuck and made a lot of sense. The guy was weird, Iris."

"He wasn't—"

"He smelled his food. Like, all of it, before taking a bite. And inspected each and every thing on his plate. I'm not saying that it's something that most normal people do. But, hey, you were the one that insisted going out with him and he, somehow, managed to get over his gun phobia after Joe did his whole 'you hurt her, I hurt you' speech."

Iris gave an amused smile before sitting up straight. Drumming her fingernails on the table, she let out a slight breath, to which Barry could detect a quiver in it. This was more important than he thought it would be. "Eddie and I haven't been able to spend a lot of time together," she admitted. "And we finally got some time to ourselves lately. So I went to his place so we could go to a movie and just hang out and talk…but he got pulled away to work."

"…And?" Rubbing the back of his neck, Barry tilted his head to the side. "I'm sorry, but that's sort of in the job description. You know, when the beeper goes off and—"

Balling up her napkin, Iris threw it at her best friend. "Do you always have to be such a smartass?"

"I'm not a smartass!" Barry defended himself. He picked up the napkin and quick as lightning threw it back towards her. "I just…happen to have a higher sense of injecting the truth into conversations in an endearing way." He then flashed his teeth in a bright smile, causing Iris to tilt her head back and laugh. Barry smiled as he watched her. There wasn't a time where he didn't like to watch her smile and be happy. "Oh good, you're smiling."

"You always make me smile, Bare."

 _But I'm not the one that makes you smile all the time,_ Barry thought. He sighed, slouching in his seat a little bit before addressing her once more. "So, you guys into a fight because he was doing his job?"

"No, we got into a fight over the Flash," Iris admitted. "He's angry that I'm still writing the blog about him. But then he became…I don't know, sort of mad when he had to go into work and I said I was going to hang out with you."

Barry snapped to attention, twisting his head so quickly there was an audible click in his neck. "Ah!" He winced and slowly turned back towards her. "He-he-he-he got mad because you were going to hang out with me?" He then slowly closed his eyes when he heard himself stutter. _Way to go, Barry. That was so smooth._

"I know, it's crazy, right? It's not like he has anything to be jealous of! He's always the one that's leaving and I get lonely. Plus, we've had so much that we needed to catch up on since you were in a coma and everything and we haven't had a lot of time to hang out together." She grinned. "Even if it was for a couple of hours, hanging out with you was so much fun. I've really started to miss it."

"Me too," Barry agreed. "I've…I've been so busy. I mean, not only working at the precinct, but…I've been helping Cisco and Caitlin with some work…at STAR Labs. Nothing too important, just a few project here and there and—"

"And I'm so glad you found friends that really enjoy the same things you do," Iris continued. "They're so passionate about the things they work on in the science field that I'll never in a million years be able to understand. I'm glad you're really finding your place."

Barry studied her for a long moment. Despite her eyes lighting up, he could see there was something there that wasn't allowing her happiness to radiate throughout her entire body. Something that was holding her back from being completely happy. "But you're not?" He pressed gently.

She sighed, knowing he couldn't be fooled. Barry was just too close to her to know everything about her. She found it to be annoying at times; considering there were so many times she couldn't keep things from him or a secret for too long, as he would be able to deduce what it was that was bothering her in a matter of seconds. "Sometimes I wonder if things with Eddie and I are too good to be true, y'know? We get along so well, but there are times like these, where he starts to put words in my mouth, or becomes incredibly insecure—" Barry tried not to laugh as he thought back to what Cadence had said about Eddie's insecurities before. "—like…with our friendship with each other."

 _Uh-oh_. Barry' gut dropped so low it he wondered if he really was on a rollercoaster at the top of a hill. His eyes shifted back and forth for a few seconds before he managed to find his voice. "W-what do you mean?"

"He's always been a little jealous of how close you and I are. He's always making this backhanded comments that things are going on between you and me or something like that. I keep telling him that we're just friends. He doesn't get it. So now he's jealous of you _and_ the Flash and I feel like I have to walk on egg-shells around him."

An elongated sigh slipped out of Barry's mouth as he mentally fought over whether or not he should reassure her or use the moment to try and put himself even further in Iris's good graces. Then he took a good look at her, seeing how sad she was, and realized he couldn't do that to her. No, then he'd be one of the people that hurt her. The people he wanted to protect her from

"He's probably just stressed," he said to her. "There's so much going on at work. Especially with what happened to the Mayor…and him wanting to start the task force for the Flash." He barely managed to get the last words out of his mouth as he gritted his teeth together.

"Yeah…" Iris nodded. "You're probably right." She sat up straight and looked at him seriously. "What's going on with that, anyway? Do you know what happened to the Mayor yet? Or who did it?"

Barry shook his head. "Not that I can really talk about it, Iris, police confidentiality. But this is one of the strangest cases we've ever been on. There doesn't seem to be any evidence to trace it to anyone. With such a high-profile victim, there's only so much we can do before we bring others in on it, too. And Captain Singh doesn't want the crime scene to be contaminated by anyone else."

"I understand," Iris agreed. "But if there's anything that you can tell me…maybe if the Flash ever shows up."

"I don't think the Flash would need to come to this case, Iris. He deals with things that—"

"I know he would show up! He wouldn't ignore something like this."

"Iris..."

"Don't Iris me, Bartholomew."

"…You know, it's really not fair that I'm the only one around here that has an embarrassing name," Barry said. His lips slowly stretched into a sly smile. "Rissie."

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Iris leaned over and whacked him on the arm again. Barry winced and rubbed the sore muscle, glaring at her. "But seriously, Bare. I know you don't like me writing about the Flash either. I know that you want me to stop. But I can't. I need…I need something to believe in, just like you do. I may not have lost my mother to a murderer,"—pain briefly flashed through her eyes but was gone as quickly as it came—"but I know what it feels like to lose hope. He brings hope to me and a lot of people out in Central City. You can't change my mind about it."

"I know," Barry agreed. "That's one of the things I like about you."

Iris beamed and reached out, squeezing Barry's hand. "And I like that you're always looking out for me." She looked at her watch. "I have to get to campus or I'm going to be late. I have a meeting with my advisor about my dissertation."

"Okay." Barry smiled and waved at Iris as she got up from the table and gracefully slung her purse over her shoulder. "Oh, your coffee."

"You can have it." Iris waved and left Jitters.

Barry shrugged and picked up the cup and started to leave the coffee shop. Once he stepped outside, he looked around before using his enhanced speed to rub the sides of the cup between his palms. The friction from his hand movements caused the coffee inside to warm itself once more. As it steamed, he brought the lid to his mouth and took a quick sip. Lowering it back down there was a sudden gust of wind and he bumped into someone, causing him to jump and drop the coffee to the ground.

Quickly backpedaling, Barry almost fell over his feet—which seemed to happen every time he tried to run backwards—quickly catching his balance.

Cadence laughed, gently clapping her hands together before placing her hands on her hips and giving him a teasing smile. "Now you know how it feels," she quipped.

"At least I give a bit of warning first," Barry replied, wiping off his front. He glanced at Cadence who was dressed in a gray crop top, high-waisted jean shorts, and a flannel shirt tied around her waist that dusted the back of her legs. "Aren't you cold?"

"Higher body temperature remember? It takes a while for me to get cold."

"Good for you."

Cadence laughed once more. "I know, right? Kind of sucks in the summer, though." She fell into step beside him as the two started walking down the sidewalk. "I have to constantly drink water or else I get dehydrated easily."

"You know, I've wondered," Barry started. "If your powers come from the element of fire. Is it hard for you to be around water? If there was a water or ice metahuman that came around, like Captain Cold, would that be a problem?"

"When it comes to water there are some limitations," Cadence explained. "I can swim, but not for very long. Which was hard because I was a swimmer in high school. I had to do some of the shorter races so I didn't get too weak. But if there ever was a metahuman of water or ice that came around…that's hard to say. Because they'd both negate each other." She turned back in front of her and cried out as she ran into a girl wearing sunglasses despite the cloudy day. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"That's alright," the girl replied in a British—or was it Australian—accent. "I wasn't watching where I was going either. Is Jitters that way?" She pointed behind the two metahumans. "I'm still kind of lost around here."

"Yeah! It's just back there, only a few stores down!" Barry replied cheerfully.

"Thanks. Hoo roo." The girl stepped around them and walked down the sidewalk.

Barry chuckled as he looked down at Cadence, suddenly aware of the massive height difference between the two of them. "You seem to be very clumsy for someone that teaches dance classes and was a cheerleader."

"You have no idea," Cadence remarked. It was then that the speedy metahuman noticed something in her hands and questioned it. "Oh!" Her dark eyes lit up as she lifted a plastic dolphin in her hands. "Brady's class was handing them out, they're having some sort of a party today. They gave me one when I dropped it off. Look!" She lifted it up and squirted it towards his face. Barry jerked his head back and knocked away the bubbles that blew into his face. "Look! It blows bubbles!"

"I can see that." Barry laughed, popping the last of them. "You seem really excited by it, too."

"What can I say? I love these things." Cadence then started to skip as they continued down the sidewalk.

"You seem to have a lot of energy today," Barry noted.

Cadence smiled up at him as she continued on. What was she supposed to say? That because Oliver was around and there was finally someone that she didn't have to keep secrets from that she finally felt like herself? Well, she could…she realized. Since Oliver knew and he had kept it a secret for so long, what was keeping her from telling Barry now? Or Cisco and Caitlin? Sure there was the potential of being judged, one of the things that she had been very afraid of. But that wasn't what was entirely keeping her from saying anything. It was having to explain everything afterwards that was the problem. Still, if Barry had been able to explain what had happened to his mother so easily, maybe she could do the same.

"I'm just in a good mood," she replied. She then smiled slyly. "Are you doing anything important right now?"

"No, why."

Cadence whacked him on the arm, causing Barry to grimace in exasperation and roll his head towards her. "You're it!" She zipped off down the sidewalk so quickly that he would've missed her had he blinked. Barry glanced at the cup of coffee in his hand then back up in the direction that Cadence had taken off in. He smirked as he tossed the cup into a nearby trash can and took off after her.

Barry caught up to her in a few seconds and the two raced around Central City before Cadence veered off into the woods where they had their first race and disappeared from view. Barry skidded to a stop, dirt spraying in all directions and looked around the clearing.

"Is this revenge for having beaten you in our last race?" Barry called.

"Actually, that was a fluke," Cadence commented, her voice echoing from somewhere in the trees above him. "You cheated."

"How did I cheat?"

"You can run faster than me, with no way of me being able to catch you."

"So?" Barry twisted around as he heard her voice change directions. "You can teleport, why didn't you do that?"

"Because I wanted a fair fight." Now Barry turned back around and regarded Cadence as she stood behind him with her arms crossed over her chest. "And it seems to me that you're missing the whole concept of the game 'tag'." She lifted a hand that became engulfed in flames as an orange glow moved down her arm. "So unless you want a painful reminder…"

"You're going to give me a rug burn?" Barry asked skeptically.

"I was thinking more of a five star."

"Don't you dare."

Barry darted towards Cadence and she quickly zipped off to the side, causing Barry to quickly change direction and follow after her. The two metahumans moved back and forth through the forest as Barry tried to catch the fire metahuman. Realizing that she would continue to zig-zag back and forth to try and tire him out as well as make it so that she moved out of the way at the last second so he wouldn't catch her. On another lap around the forest, he doubled back and reached out a hand, slapping Cadence on the arm.

"You're it!"

He turned and raced back in the other direction as Cadence chased after him. Laughing, he raced at a speed that was a bit faster than Cadence's top speed, keeping her just out of his reach. At one point, he turned and leapt up into a tree and watched as Cadence stopped short below him. The pieces of dirt and leaves that flew up into the air smoldered at her rate of speed.

"Not that I'm not having fun," Barry called down to her, gently swinging his legs back and forth in the air. "And enjoying the fact that you've been losing for the pat twenty minutes." He zipped to the tree directly to his side as he watched Cadence start to teleport, smoke billowing around her. When he landed in the tree next to her he looked over and saw her crouching low on the tree branch that he had just occupied, smoke streaming out from underneath her hands as she grasped onto the branch, an irritated look on her face. "But why are we playing tag?

He moved once more as Cadence leapt towards him, this time moving a few trees away. She kneeled on the branch, and swung her hair out of her face. "For the past couple of days you look like you could use some cheering up, time to blow off some steam where you didn't have to hide all this." She waved her hand before sitting down on her branch, resting her hands in her lap. "Having to hide your abilities…it can really suck sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Barry laughed lightly. "It's just…I'm glad that you, the guys at STAR Labs, the guys from Starling City, Joe…I'm glad that all of you guys know. I just wish that more people knew. I wish I didn't always have to look over my shoulder before I did something, that I could just use my abilities whenever I wanted. That I wouldn't feel—"

"—like you were hiding in plain sight?" Cadence interrupted gently. Barry smiled and nodded. "I know what you mean. I'm used to it, only a few people back home know about me…" she trailed off. "And even then I feel like some sort of…pariah." She started to rub her fingers with her thumb. "Even though I was out amongst my friends and family. I couldn't do anything in public, but in private I had no problem being able to use my powers. It made thing so much easier and it made me feel…"

"Alive?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah…" Barry grinned. "Nothing feels better than being able to go at my top speed and feel the wind blow around me. To know that no one can see me as I keep going and going. That I can improve and keep going faster and faster. That I can help people with my speed as much as I can. Being able to show people what I can do…being able to see that look of wonder and excitement on their faces." His smile then faded a little. "But I understand the risk. If the wrong person finds out…if I tell people I can't trust, I might lose friendships, my job, and my freedom. How can you continue to be around people that you can't fully be honest with? In the end, someone's gonna get hurt."

"Yeah, I know that feeling," Cadence agreed. She paused, lowering her gaze. "Speaking of, there's something I need to tell you."

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Uh…" Cadence was cut off by the sound of her cell phone first making a 'dinging' sound and then a split second later starting to ring. She pulled her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen before holding it up to her ear. "Hello? Speaking." Her right hand tightened along the branch and a billow of smoke erupted from underneath it. "He did what?" Then her eyes closed and she growled lightly. "Yes, I understand, I'll be right there." As soon as Cadence hung up the phone, she burned through the branch and fell a few feet to the ground.

"Cade!" Barry quickly jumped down from the tree and landed on the ground next to her as she started to cough, brushing dirt away from her face. "Are you okay?" He couldn't hold in his mounting laughter as she brushed off her clothes and got to her feet. "Now I see what you mean when you said you can be clumsy."

"Now you know another one of my weaknesses," Cadence breathed. "Dirt and dust!" She coughed again before catching her breath. "That was Brady's school. Apparently he got into a fight with some of his classmates. So he's been suspended for a while. I have to go get him."

"I'll go with you," Barry offered.

Cadence hesitated for a minute, obviously torn with the decision as a series of emotions raced across her face. She then nodded. "Okay. C'mon." The two went to the school and when Cadence arrived, being direct to the principal's office, she found Brady sitting sullenly on a chair outside, kicking his legs back and forth. Then she zeroed in on the sound of a shouting mother behind the closed office door and sighed.

Brady looked up at his mother before turning his gaze back down to his lap, hanging his head so far that his body resembled the shape of a question mark. "Hey buddy," Barry greeted him as Cadence went over to the principal's office and knocked on the door. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Brady murmured.

"I heard you got into a fight," Barry pressed.

"It's no big deal," Brady replied in that same, quiet tone. He looked up as he heard the office door open and the two watched as Cadence stepped back, out of the way of a mother who dragged her son behind her. She stopped short, catching sight of Cadence and turned to her with undisguised fury.

"I know that you're young, but I'd at least expect you to be able to teach him some manners!" The woman hissed to Cadence, who slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and regarded the woman but didn't say anything in response. "He got my son suspended for a week!" She violently gestured over towards Brady, who watched the exchange quietly. "I want him in another class or kicked out!"

"Mrs. Williams, I'm sure this situation isn't that drastic," the principal, Hank Kenneth, chided as he came to the office door. "We'll handle Brady the way we see fit. We have a zero tolerance policy of violence; but Brady and your son have never been in fights before. We can't overlook that."

"Ever since he came back here, he's been nothing but trouble!" Mrs. Williams said. She pulled her son closer to her side. "And I'm not going to continue to have my son in here if he's here!" She stormed off down the hall, dragging her son behind her, only stopping when she spotted Barry. "Who are you?" She demanded.

Barry straightened himself, patting Brady on the shoulder before showing off his badge. "I'm Barry Allen, I'm with the CCPD."

As the woman's eyes narrowed, Cadence added. "He's a friend of mine."

Now the woman looked Barry up and down and her upper lip curled. "I'll bet," she spat before leaving.

Cadence sighed and turned back to Principal Kenneth. "I'm sorry for what Brady's done," she said quickly. "But, it's like you said, I've never heard of him fighting before. It's not really his thing to do. So, I guess I'm kind of in the dark here."

"Miss. Nash, I understand your predicament and I do understand that Brady hasn't ever been trouble before, but it's like I said. We don't tolerate violence here." Principal Kenneth shifted his feet, moving his weight to the balls of his feet as he rocked back and forth. "I apologize, but his suspension does stand."

"For how long?"

"The rest of the week; four days," Principal Kenneth explained.

"Sounds fair." Cadence nodded then reached out, shaking his hand. "I apologize for this. I'll talk to him. Thanks for…not expelling him I guess." Principal Kenneth nodded and went back to his office. Cadence walked over to her son and picked up his backpack before motioning him out of the chair. "Do you want to explain or am I going to have to get it from someone else?"

Brady shrugged as he walked along, looking at his feet.

"Was it the same thing that people said before?" She guessed.

He nodded.

Cadence gave a half smile. "And you listened to what I told you?"

Brady nodded again.

"Good." Cadence ruffled his hair as they walked out of the school building. Her phone dinged once more and she slapped herself on the forehead. "I forgot," she murmured. "I have something to do."

"Are you leaving?" Brady tilted his head and looked up at her; right eye squinted to block out the sun.

"Yeah, Bud, I have some things to do."

He turned towards her, shoulders slumping. "I don't want you to leave," he said in a slightly whining tone. "Can I come with you?"

Cadence hesitated before looking over at Barry, who watched her with a curious expression. "No. I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

"Because you'd be bored."

"No, I won't."

"Yes, you would. Trust me, even I don't know why I'm going."

"No." Brady walked forward and wrapped his arms around Cadence's waist, pressing his face against her stomach. Cadence reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't want you to go."

Finally, Barry stepped forward and placed a hand on Brady's shoulder. "I can look after him," he offered to Cadence. "I don't really have anything going on today and if something does, I can just take him to STAR Labs. He'll be safe there."

"Are you sure?" Cadence asked. When Barry nodded she let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks, that helps a lot." She gently pushed Brady away from her and tilted his head back so that he looked up at her. "Are you okay with Barry staying with you?" He nodded. "Are you sure?" Brady nodded again. "Okay. Good. I'll be back later." She gave him a hug before reaching out and squeezing Barry's wrist. "Thanks again."

She turned and looked around before disappearing from sight.

Barry watched her go before turning back to Brady, who kicked at the ground. "Hey, let's go do something fun," he suggested. "Have you ever played pool?" Brady shook his head and Barry smiled. "Good. Now I know someone that won't beat me. C'mon."

* * *

 

Brady smiled a little and followed Barry as they left the school.

"Did you get her?"

Lucas lowered his phone and smiled. "Yep. She's on her way." He turned around to face Breathtaker and Leah. "Now all we need if for Incognito to get here and we have everyone." His eyes moved across the warehouse towards Bette then moved over the others he had just gotten acquainted with; Bronze Tiger, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and Shrapnel.

"Excellent," Breathtaker breathed. There was a hint of elation in his voice. "Now we can get started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story and the rest of The Flash and The Flame series can be found in full (the fourth story is a work in progress) on the Fanfiction.net profile, DarkElements10. Please keep in mind this story was originally posted on FFN in October 2014 and finished November 2015, so some things need to be changed/fixed as the story goes on. I hope you guys enjoy it and feel free to follow my adjoining tumblr posts at purple-and-red-ribbons.tumblr.com.


	19. Feeling This

**.:19:.**

_Feeling This  
_

* * *

 

"You want to run a background scan on Cadence?" Diggle asked, crossing his arms. He leaned back in his seat, lowering his voice as he glanced around the floor of Jitters. Roy, Felicity, and Oliver sat around the table in their own chairs, empty plates scattered in front of them with silverware and glasses festooned among them as well.

However, the atmosphere around them was tense, if not a bit angry. Oliver sat on one side of the table, his hands brought up to his cover his mouth, brooding eyes set in a concentrated stare at Diggle, who sat across from him. He managed to revert the expression into that of friendliness to the waiters that would come by and ask for their order and bring their food, but it would return to its original scary stare whenever they were alone again.

"I don't _want_ to," he admitted. "But you can't be too careful."

Roy exchanged a look with Oliver and sat up. "Wait, I thought you were her friend."

Oliver bobbed his head back and forth. " _Friend_ is a bit of a strong term, more in the fact that we're acquaintances."

Felicity shook her head, gently bringing her fingertips to her temples. "Not that I don't believe you had a good reason for wanting to do a background check as you do it with practically everyone that comes in your line of fire." She swallowed. "Even Barry."

"The story of his mother's passing was as curiosity inducing as he implied it was," Oliver defended himself. "I felt that I needed to look for myself."

"As opposed to how mysterious the death of your mother was?" Roy pointed out. He slid low in his seat as Oliver turned towards him with a glare and a low clearing of the throat. "Not to put your mother's life in vain. Don't you think they would've checked that out as well?"

"Not when you have the means to make sure that there isn't anything unusual about a heart attack," Oliver remarked then changed the subject. "Anyway, I'm not saying that Cadence is a bad person, I'm not saying she's doing anything wrong. I just think that…her timeline is weird," he admitted. "From being here in Central City, to some of the things that have been going on. We've run it on everyone else at STAR Labs; I'm not asking you to torture her." He turned to Felicity. "Just do it, and please let me know what you find out."

"It'll only take a few seconds," Felicity replied with a heavy sigh. She lifted her laptop from the bag that rested by her feet and placed it in her lap. Hunching over the screen so that any passersby wouldn't be able to peek at her screen, her fingers flew over the keyboard.

"And what do you plan to do with the information once you get whatever you're looking for?" Diggle asked, gathering Oliver's attention once more. Oliver's eyes flashed. Uh-oh. Diggle was definitely treading on dangerous grounds. Questioning Oliver's motives and means was never something he would suggest. "Are you going to blackmail her or is there something that—"

"There is something that I remember happening that surrounded her and I'm curious to know what it is that will come up when we do a check." Oliver nodded over at Felicity once more. "Please," he added after her head whipped up and she glared at him.

Leaning back in his seat, Oliver ran his hands over his face and down his chin. There was so much to worry about now. Not only did they have to find out who the boomerang wielder was that was the helm of some of the attacks in Starling City, but there was also the means of what was going on in Central City that grabbed is attention. It was big news that the mayor had suddenly passed away and with no explanation, though the toxicology reports hadn't been received yet. But there had been other deaths hat caught his attention as well, ones he didn't understand that had happened. And, of course, there was Barry, who wanted nothing but to be a good hero, but had no idea what the steps were to do that.

How had he and Cadence managed to get themselves into the situation that Roy had put them in? They should've sensed from the beginning that they weren't alone. That was one of his hesitations with working with Barry, as he and Felicity so wanted to do. Barry was inexperienced and found happiness and excitement in everything he did—he didn't know anyone that smiled nearly as much as the assistant forensic scientist. He was in for a rude awakening if things continued to progress the way they were.

"What happened?" Roy asked Oliver, causing the vigilante to lower his head and glance at his partner. "You said there was something that had happened to her…something she did…something that surrounded her before?"

Diggle tilted his head to the side, his eyes on Oliver, who met his gaze, before sliding them over towards the young man that sat beside him. "You seem to be really interested in her," he commented.

Roy shifted in his seat, crossing his legs the other way. "No," he said unconvincingly. "I'm just making sure I'm prepared for whatever comes our way." As if to help his story, he motioned to Oliver, who appeared that he was trying to hide his smile as well. "That's what he's always telling me, to make sure that I don't miss everything I need to know about a person or situation."

"Sure."

Felicity made a strange sound that grabbed the men's attention as she closed her laptop and put it away. "Are you sure that you guys don't want any more coffee?" She asked, rising herself in her seat and looking around the coffee shop. "They make some great stuff here and—"

"Felicity, you're stalling," Oliver pointed out. "What's wrong?"

Sighing heavily, Felicity lowered herself back in her seat. "Apart from the stories of meteorites and the strange affects it had on those in Smallville and some cases in Metropolis, there really wasn't much that could be found about Cadence other than we already knew." She shrugged. "Twenty-Four, a mother and father named Maya and Kent who work in marketing and public relations, little brother Brady,"—she glanced up at Oliver shifted in his seat—"newspaper clippings of her awards and contest wins. She was in residence to become a pediatrician up until recently where she decided to put her studies on hold." She scratched the base of her skull near her ponytail. "…And one other thing."

Drumming his hands against the front of his seat, Roy waited for her to continue. But when she continued to stay quiet, he spoke up with, "well? What is it?"

Geez, impatient, much? Felicity laced her fingers together and rested her hands on the table. "There was a fire in Smallville," she explained. "The rural city not too far from Metropolis, you can get there in a few hours' drive."

"Felicity."

"There was a fire," She repeated. "A lot of crops had been burned. There hadn't been any droughts near the time it happened. The ground hadn't even been dry. This wasn't even a case of slash-and-burn as they choose to do in the tropical rain forests in places like Brazil. You see, the choice of using slash-and-burn is to—"

"Felicity!"

"All right!" Felicity waved her hands for a moment before setting them back down on the table. "I'm sorry, Oliver. But there had been a sudden fire in Smallville that caused a lot of crops to become destroyed, causing some farms to go into failure. It hasn't been proved, she's even been cleared of it, but Cadence was the main suspect of the fire. It wasn't common news. I had to do some really deep digging to figure that out."

"If that's the case, then why wouldn't it come up so easily?" Roy's question was met with a moment of silence. "I mean, you said you had to dig through it."

"One thing I can tell you for certain is that when you have a lot of money, there are ways to make sure things that could potentially embarrass you, can go away," Oliver reminded him. "Which certainly explains a lot."

"Well now that we have satisfied Oliver's curiosity, what are we going to do about this boomerang guy?" Diggle asked. "It's not like we have any leads with where this is going. It was even just a hunch that maybe the boomerangs had been made here. We don't know where to go now."

"We would if we had Barry's help," Felicity pointed out.

Oliver let out a slight growl, closing his eyes as he collected his thoughts. He made a mental note of what he had just been told about Cadence and stored it away before switching gears and focusing on the reason they had been brought to Central City.

"I've told you—"

"Hi!"

Oliver sat back and turned to the side to see Iris had just arrived at their table, a pen poised over a notepad. She then put the notepad away and rested her hands on the end of the table, gently leaning forward slightly. "Hi."

Iris's eyes moved around the table and she smiled at Felicity. "Felicity, it's nice to see you again," she greeted the blonde, who smiled her thanks. "But, uh, I don't believe I know the rest of you."

"Oh, well, this is John Diggle," Felicity pointed towards the African-American man. "A chauffeur. Roy Harper, a friend of mine, and—"she started to introduce Oliver, but Iris cut her off.

"Oliver Queen," Iris stated matter-of-fact, a wide, smile that was a mixture of demure and exhilaration. "I know you. I…I can't believe you're in my coffee shop right now." She then gently smacked herself on the forehead. "I mean, it's not like you can't come here for a good coffee every now and then, but why would you come here?"

Roy and Diggle chuckled to themselves as Felicity managed a slight roll of her eyes with an added, "of course," under her breath. As Roy's chuckle increased, enough so that he had to cover it up with a cough, Felicity's eyes widened when she realized that she had been heard.

"I…have some connections to this city," Oliver replied.

"Right, of course." Iris suddenly seemed to remember that she was on the job for she broke her dreamy smile with the billionaire and changed her attitude. "Sorry, would you guys like some more coffee? Can I get the plates out of your way?"

"Yes, and yes," Oliver replied. "I'd like mine black, please."

"And I'd like a non-fat latte for me," Felicity added, crossing her legs. She looked over at Oliver as he smiled in amusement, seemingly unable to keep his former playboy ways down. The ladies did like Oliver, and he did like attention from time to time. She turned to Roy and Diggle. "Do you two want anything?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Diggle politely declined.

"No thanks."

"All right, I'll get that to you as soon as I can." Iris reached out and walked around the table, picking up the dishes that continued to lay scattered around the table. She flashed a smile towards the billionaire once more before leaving, disappearing behind the counter.

Roy crossed his arms. "Does that ever get boring to you? Having girls constantly give you attention like that?"

"You're treading on dangerous ground there, Roy," Diggle pointed out. "Especially considering Oliver can easily turn the conversation around to asking you some embarrassing and uncomfortable questions about your relationship with Thea. Who is his sister if you've forgotten."

"Yeah, yeah."

The four continued to sit in silence as the patrons of the coffee shop milled around them. Right now it was too dangerous to talk about the case they were following; it was too easy for someone to overhear them, especially now that Iris was waiting on them with their orders. No, they had to wait until they were at a more secure place before making any more decisions.

There was a jingle over the door of the coffee shop and the four twisted around to see Barry striding through the door, hands in the pockets of his large coat. Loosening the scarf around his neck, Barry looked around before locking his gaze with Oliver and heading over.

"Hey guys," he greeted them. "What are you doing here?"

"We can't stop and get some coffee?" Oliver asked.

"Well, I just figured that you're always so busy running around and being a vigilante that you had nothing but time for your fancy wines and champagnes," Barry joked in reply, causing a light laugh to surround the table. "Seriously, though, you look like you just found a bug in your coffee or something."

"I hope not," Iris commented as she walked back over to the table, carrying two steaming mugs in her hands. She grinned at Barry before gently pushing him aside so that she could place the mugs on the table. "One non-fate latte for Felicity with two sugars." She then turned to Oliver with a smile so wide that her white teeth nearly blinded Barry, who stood behind her. "And one coffee, black, for Oliver." One the mug was placed on the table; she subconsciously smoothed down her hair. "I brewed you a fresh pot."

"Thank you, very much," Oliver remarked. He flashed his charming smile and brought the mug up to his lips, taking a long sip.

Barry chuckled. "Looks like you have an admirer, Oliver."

At the sound of his voice, Iris turned and grabbed onto Barry's arm, pulling her backwards a few steps. "You never told me that you knew Oliver Queen. Some best friend you are." She smacked him on the arm and this time Barry had to pretend to wince as he had gotten used to the brunt of her trauma on his arm. "I hope I didn't just make a fool out of myself," she suddenly switched topics. "Did I look like a fool to you?"

"You never look like a fool to me, Iris," Barry replied, honestly. "Don't worry."

Back at the table, Oliver turned his attention back to his colleagues, who were all looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?" He didn't give them a chance to answer before deducing it himself. "What help do you think that Barry will bring to our case?"

"It's not just the case, Oliver," Diggle reminded him. "We're working with the Suicide Squad, too. And you can't tell me that you'll be able to sit here or back in Starling City with a clear conscience if you hear that something had gone on in Central City at their hands and you sat back and did nothing."

Oliver moved his lower jaw to the side and closed his eyes for a minute before looking over at Barry and motioning him to the table. Barry went over and hovered by the table as Oliver took a deep breath. "Okay," he said. "Considering it doesn't seem like something we can handle on our own, and that there is an even more urgent matter with the Suicide Squad, we could use your help?"

Barry's face immediately lit up into the bright smile that was always hard pressed to be knocked down. "Really?"

Oliver's hesitation was only a second. "Really."

Barry held out his hand and Oliver looked down at it for a moment before reaching out and grabbing onto it, shaking it firmly.

* * *

 

Caitlin sat in her office with Cisco, the two gently tossing a basketball back and forth as they conversed about was to win the next round of American Idol, though her mind was elsewhere. How was she to continue working at STAR Labs with Harrison…with _Cadence_ knowing what she knew about them? She still remembered how Harrison had stared at her after he had confirmed her suspicions.

"I must applaud you for being the first one to figure it out," Harrison continued, tilting his head to the side as he examined her, causing her to suddenly feel that she was wearing less clothing than she clearly had on. She couldn't help but cross her arms and legs, leaning forward slightly so that she didn't feel as vulnerable under his gaze. "I can't say that I was particularly _trying_ to keep it a secret…it's been hard as the years have gone by."

"Why?" The word slipped out of Caitlin's mouth before she could stop it. Did she really want to know what his decisions about the subject were? It wasn't her business, something she probably should've kept her mouth shut in general. But it had made sense and her curious side wouldn't allow her to keep it quiet. What she didn't deal with in emotions, she made up for in her natural curiosity. "Why'd you give her up? If you kept in close contact this whole time…"

If Harrison was confused or even put off by her question, he didn't let it show on his face or even in his eyes. "The only way that we knew we could go through the adoption process would be to know that she was going to be okay," Harrison explained after a minute. He stretched his arms, as if making a move to get up out of the chair. Then quickly dropped them back to his lap. "So Tess and I agreed we would do an open adoption and would hope to find a couple that would be willing to let us visit her as much as we wanted. It wasn't the right time for us to have children. We were too into our work, into our careers to even think about raising her around our…experiments."

Caitlin made a humming sound but didn't immediately reply. She continued to look at Harrison, to watch as the man that had been so confident, even borderline arrogant at times, slowly started to break down. She could see the sadness in his eyes, the pain. The same pain that she had seen flash across his face when Cadence explained her relationship to him as he was a family friend and 'nothing more'. It had to have hurt; to be able to be in the same space as a daughter and to know she didn't know the truth. To know that she didn't understand the constant restraint that had to be held.

She felt sorry for Harrison, even a little guilty. But why should she feel guilt? Because she had planned her entire life around hers and Ronnie's future? That they were going to go on their honeymoon, advance their careers, and have their first child a few years before they turned thirty? That she still wanted those things; the security and knowing that there was someone that wanted those same things. She had all of those things in her grasp and had them ripped away as quickly as Harrison did when his baby was taken away from his and Tess's grasps.

"Did you ever regret your decision?" Caitlin finally questioned. She paused as Harrison glanced her with a hint of a smile before turning away. The tense atmosphere that hung between them hit Caitlin right in the chest and she re-examined her faux pas. "I'm sorry, I mean. I know that…it had to have been hard if you're still in her life….though she doesn't know."

Before responding to her question, Harrison leaned forward and reached out with his left hand, grabbing onto Caitlin's. Startled, she looked down at his hand, suddenly feeling her entire body warm, before looking up into his intense gaze. And as the seconds spread out between them, his grasp tightened on her hand, firm yet still gentle before he rubbed his thumb against the back of her palm, sending goose bumps down her arms.

"Don't apologize," he murmured. "You don't ever have to apologize for your questioning. It's something that I really admire…like about you, Caitlin. That you don't allow things to go by without questioning every angle of every piece of information. Besides, it's the right question to ask. I suppose I wouldn't have readily added her to our midst if I didn't feel that I had made a mistake. In fact as it was an open adoption, and I had been friends with Kent and Maya Nash at many stages of my life, I knew they would allow us to see her as much as we wanted. However Tess asked that they wouldn't reveal our true identities.

"I questioned her about it, but she said it was already too painful. It has been said that despite mothers wanting to give up their children for a better life that as soon as they hear the first heartbeat, feel that first kick, see the baby for the first time, they feel that motherly connection with their baby. I think she had felt that connection and felt it sever once it was taken and she couldn't handle it well so she wanted to be sure that it was like it didn't happen. I felt badly for her, but she was my wife and I understood her reasoning's from a scientist's standpoint as well as from a husband's standpoint so I went with her decision. So for years we would see her on her birthday, some holidays, whatever we thought would be appropriate for our situation. But when Tess died…"

"Which is why you kept in constant contact with her," Caitlin supplied. "To see if there was still that connection, because you lost…" She lowered her head, feeling a wave of sadness suddenly fall over her as she thought about Ronnie. Gone were the days where she would roll over in bed and hope to see her husband next to her, to see the man she had fallen in love with. She was used to the silence that was around and didn't look for him as much as she used to.

But the pain remained.

"Precisely," Harrison agreed. "I had wanted to…to stay with her in some ways. Tess and Cadence. It was the only way I knew how."

"But how can you stand not telling her? Why haven't you told her?"

That was the question that seemed to stump Dr. Wells for the first time in his life. He regarded Caitlin with confusion then a sense of clarity as he used his free hand to rub the back of his neck. Then Caitlin thought about it. What would she do after the conversation was over? Would she tell Cisco? He was like her brother; the two of them told each other everything. Everything. But it wasn't her place; it would ruin her relationship, her trust with Wells.

Did she have a relationship with Wells?

 _Way to go Cait, you're talking about something that's incredibly important and you're wondering whether or not you're in a relationship._ Caitlin gently shook her head, mentally cursing herself. Not wondering if she's in one, if she has one. There was a definite difference between the two distinctions. Not that it mattered much, she shouldn't be thinking about it.

"How can you stand torturing yourself over Ronnie's death?" Harrison turned the conversation back to her. "Why don't you talk about it?" He didn't give her a chance to answer. "You and I have a lot in common, Caitlin. Though the situations may not be _exactly_ the same. So I trust you would understand how I feel. I couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if we kept her. But time travel isn't a thing,"—his eyes shifted—"and I couldn't even being to anticipate how things would be different."

Caitlin finally tore her gaze away from Wells and looked down only to notice that her hand was still in his. But it wasn't weird; it was a comforting touch, something she hadn't realized she wanted for a long time. And as he continued his grip on her hand, she moved hers slightly, allowing her fingers to fall in-between his.

He was right.

They did have a lot in common. Love, loss, backgrounds, careers…the want to move on…

Caitlin lifted her head and found that Harrison had leaned closer to her and before she could react, before she could even take a breath, she felt his lips upon hers. She sat still for a moment before her body moved before her will, before her mind, betraying everything she had felt and tried to keep quiet. Tilting her head to the side, Caitlin gently moved her mouth over his as Harrison reached up and placed his hands on the sides of her face, gently holding her still. It wasn't until they had kissed again, when a sort of sigh escaped Harrison's mouth that Caitlin broke out of her trance and quickly backed away from him.

Then she stood and stared at him in shock and surprise, her hand slowly moving up to her mouth. Her body betrayed her, her cheeks were warm, she could feel her lips trembling as she continued to feel him near her, despite him calmly sitting in the wheelchair a few inches in front of her.

"Dr. Snow," Harrison started.

He was only cut off as Caitlin reacted quickly, letting her emotions take her over for the first time since her fiancé's death, and she swiped her arm forward and hit Harrison on the cheek. The sharp slap that rang through the office like a bomb. She immediately felt bad, knew she had to apologize, but couldn't bring herself to it.

She wasn't sure how her body would react, what she would do.

She had to get out.

So, she backed away a few steps before turning and walking out of his office, not looking over his shoulder to see what his reaction was other than to pick up the glasses that had been knocked off his face by the hit. And she had gone home and tried to act like nothing had happened. But he soon found herself to be restless and called Cadence to go out for a drink or food or something.

And even as the two girls talked about everything other than their work at STAR Labs during that quiet dinner to themselves, which Caitlin really did enjoy as she got to know the fire metahuman a bit more, every now and then she would think of Harrison and anger herself.

Only because she was so confused. Even going back to work had been hard despite Harrison acting like nothing had gone on between them. He went on with their experiments and projects and analyses but didn't make any mention of that day.

"I'm just saying that there needs to be some other kind of contestants on the show," Cisco commented, finally bringing Caitlin back to attention. He spun the basketball around his hands for a few rotations before pulling down the sleeves of his sweatshirt over his hands. He never understood why she had opted to keep it so cold in her office, but found that his subtle and open complaints didn't change her mind. "How many country and pop singers can exist in this country?"

Caitlin snorted. "So you're saying that you'd rather have it that say, a heavy metal singer should be part of the competition?" She held up her hands, catching the basketball as Cisco threw it back to her.

"Yes!" Cisco clapped and pointed at Caitlin. "That would be perfect! And because he or she would be different, the fans would continue to vote her in, bringing him or her up the ranks until the show is overthrown."

Caitlin sighed and tossed the ball back to him, shaking her head. She curled her legs up into her chair, gently draping her arms over the top. "Cisco, why don't you just admit that you like to watch the show?"

"I will as soon as you admit that you like to watch Storage Wars," Cisco shot back. He looked up at the sound of an electrical whir and nodded at Harrison as he wheeled into the doorway of the room, not moving in an inch further. "Hey Dr. Wells," he greeted the man behind STAR Labs.

Caitlin quickly pulled her legs down from the chair and smoothed her skirt down, all in the same movement.

"Hello Cisco…Dr. Snow," Harrison replied.

Ouch.

"Do you want to toss the ball around?" Cisco mimed throwing it over to him before doing so and Harrison caught the ball with ease, his large hand encompassing it. "Nice catch!"

"Thank you, Cisco," Harrison replied. "I must admit that considering my former incredibly tall stature I was a figment on the basketball teams I was part of." He tossed the ball back and forth between his hands. "It's one of the many things that I miss. And as it is, I would love to engage in the game you two are playing"—his eyes moved over to Caitlin's and flashed slightly—"but we have more pressing matters to attend to. We have some visitors." He turned and wheeled out of the room.

Cisco nodded then looked back over at Caitlin. "What was that?"

She sat up straight, hoping her voice encompassed innocence as she responded with, "what was what?"

"What's going on with you two? You can't stand to be in the same room with each other for more than a few minutes." Cisco stood up from his seat and crossed his arms as he regarded Caitlin with a slow smile, showing off a sliver of his teeth at the corner. "Uh-huh, fine, don't tell me."

"I ensure you, Cisco, there's nothing to tell!" Caitlin picked up a stack of folders and ushered him out of his office, him pulling off his sweatshirt as he went.

"Right, like you don't have a thing for Wells."

"I don't!"

"Okay, sure."

"Cisco." Caitlin placed her hand on Cisco's shoulder and pulled him to a stop. "I don't, okay. There's nothing going on, really. We just…had a misunderstanding about something." _How can you misunderstand a kiss? That's pretty clear._

Cisco's dark eyes looked deep into Caitlin's and he nodded. This was Caitlin, his best friend. She wouldn't lie to him unless she felt she had a good reason for it. And he knew when she was lying. She lied every time she said that she had gotten over Ronnie's death, he could see it in her face. Hell, he lied whenever he said he was over it. It still hurt day after day and his memory being everywhere, that memorial that had been made up for those that had passed away that day.

"If there were, you'd tell me, right?" He pressed, now resembling the almost four years that separated them. Sounding very much like a little brother.

"Right."

Caitlin gave him a reassuring smile and the two walked out onto the lab floor, surprised to find Oliver, Roy, Diggle, and Felicity with Barry and Cadence with Brady tagging along, close behind Cadence. Harrison glanced at Cadence and Brady as they passed before nodding towards them, Cisco's entire face immediately lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Are we going to be getting their stats? Watch them spar?" The questions shot out of his mouth rapid-fire and he nearly squealed when Harrison nodded his agreement. "Oh, this is going to be so cool!" He immediately went over to his computer and started up the programs that would monitor their levels. Caitlin went to her computer, smoothing down her skirt behind her and motioned for Felicity to join her as they worked. "Let me just get everything started up."

"Now you'll understand why I can barely get anything done when they practice," Felicity said to Caitlin as she sat down, smoothing down the end of her dress. She nodded across the room as Oliver and Roy pulled off their shirts and carefully folded them before placing them on a metal cart that Harrison had supplied.

Caitlin sucked in a deep breath and turned away, giving Felicity as genuine of a smile as she could. "Well, there has to be some perks to this job, right?" _Like kissing your boss._ She really had to get a grip.

"Mmm." Cadence announced her presence as she walked over to Caitlin, to which the doctor noticed she was in her Zumba attire of a sports bra underneath a crop top and lyrca shorts, holding out her arms. "Like getting loaded up with electrodes?" Her eyes flashed with amusement as Caitlin got up and started to attach them to her arms. "They're not going to melt off, are they?"

"I think Cisco worked with them to be sure that Barry's friction and your heat wouldn't melt anymore of our equipment." That hadn't been a particularly fun day, especially when the sprinklers had gone off, immediately causing Cadence to dive underneath a desk for cover from the falling water. Caitlin looked up as Brady walked over. "Hey Brady."

"Hi," Brady replied with a smile and a wave.

Felicity's eyebrows rose. "You…you let a kid in here?"

"He's always known about my powers," Cadence supplied. "And… as of late he had been suspended from school so…"

"So why didn't you just leave him with your parents?"

The question went unanswered as Brady turned to Cadence and poked her on the side. "Can I watch?"

"Sure, but don't get too close, alright?" Cadence absentmindedly ran her hand over his hair as she checked the electrodes that had been pressed to her skin. "This isn't going to electrocute me either, is it?"

"If it does you can just direct the current away with your powers," Caitlin pointed out.

"Good point." Cadence then gave an evil smile as she stretched her arms. "Which do you think the Big Bad Wolf would prefer? Raw or roasted Little Red Riding Hood?" She laughed along with Caitlin before walking out onto the floor of the lab, cracking her knuckles and shaking out her fingers. She regarded Roy who stood up to her, holding onto a large bow staff. "At least I get a chance for some friendly payback after getting skewered," she said in a friendly tone of voice. "It left a scar you know."

"At least now I know that you're taking my apology," Roy replied, gently spinning the bow staff in his hand. "Doesn't mean I'll go easy on you, though."

Cadence shrugged. "You wouldn't be able to touch me, Little Red."

Roy immediately lashed out at Cadence, striking her on the side of the head with one end of the bow staff, faking her out from a blow to the side that she moved to block, and then backed away a few spaces. Smirking, he looked her up and down, being obvious about it. "Really?" He started towards her once more and Cadence ran back at him before doing a standing front flip over him.

She landed on her feet and twisted around, sending a stream of fire his way before back kicking him in the side.

"Really."

Caitlin watched, alternatively checking out the vital signs of Cadence as she and Roy fought with each other. Every now and then she would find her eyes drift over towards Harrison then had to quickly shake her head before bringing her attention back to the fight in front of her.

Anything was better than focusing on the fight inside her.

* * *

 

Cadence looked at her watch as she walked out from her living room to the hallway that went to their bedroom. She found Brady sitting in the middle of the bed, frowning at the book he had to read for class. Of course despite the fact that he had been suspended she wasn't going to let him get away with doing nothing.

"What's with the look on your face, bud?" Cadence asked, climbing up onto the bed and sitting next to him. "Having trouble with a word?"

Brady nodded and pointed into the book. "What's this word?" He leaned forward and frowned as he tried to sound it out. "In…com….pre…"

Cadence read it over his shoulder. "Incomprehensible," she said then paused. "What kind of book is this?" She turned to the cover and saw that it was a Wordly Wise book, but for a few grades above him. "Why are you reading this? Where's your book?"

"I took this book from the school library to see if I could learn more words," Brady explained. "I don't understand a lot of what Cisco, Caitlin, Barry, or Wells are saying and I want to learn." He looked up at his mother with a slight frown. "Does this word say 'termite?'"

"Terminate. Meaning to bring to an end." Cadence picked up the book and closed it, marking the page for him before putting it aside. "Just like I'm bringing this to an end, it's time for bed." She pulled back the covers and pulled them up over Brady. "Did you brush your teeth?"

Brady opened his mouth wide and leaned up so that his mother could inspect his teeth before she nodded and gently pushed him back down. Then Brady regarded her with a curious look. "Mom, why don't you have a boyfriend? Aren't you lonely?"

The fire metahuman was taken aback for a moment before chuckling, crossing her arms. "How can I be lonely, sweetie? I have you."

"Yeah, but I can't be your boyfriend," Brady pointed out.

Now Cadence shrugged. "I guess I don't like anyone."

"Don't you like Cisco?"

"Yes, he's very funny. But he's not my boyfriend."

"Do you like Roy? I think he likes you."

"I barely even know Roy."

"What about Barry?" Brady sat up. "Do you like Barry? I like Barry, he's nice. He let me beat him at pool though I'm not that good." With a quick shake of his head, Brady flicked his hair from his face and Cadence's eyes narrowed before she reached her hand out and pressed it to her son's forehead before smoothing his hair back. Brady blinked back at her and Cadence sighed, dropping her hand.

She wasn't stupid. She had been with him for eight years; long enough to know when he was trying to get out of something. But what? He wasn't going back to school until after that weekend; he didn't have a lot of homework. In fact, for an eight year old his life was pretty easy, he had friends at school, friends in the people that worked at STAR Labs, and a mother that loved him very much. So what could it be?

"Alright, bud, why are you stalling?" She asked. "Why don't you want to go to sleep?" It had been a long time since she had to constantly stop her work just to send her son back to bed. Or to get up to bring him a drink of water or take him to the bathroom. He had been really good at sleeping through the night for a long time. But now her mother's intuition was kicking in and she could sense something was really wrong.

Brady ruffled the blankets for a moment before looking up at her again. "If I go to sleep, will you be there when I wake up?"

Eyebrows furrowing together, Cadence uncrossed her arms. "Of course," she replied. "What makes you think I wouldn't?"

"When that man took me and said you didn't want me anymore."

And then Cadence understood. Understood why Brady had been so insistent to know that she hadn't made a mistake to have him, to not want to be away from her, to have sudden mood swings about when he wanted her around or didn't want her around. It had been a while since he had been taken by Michael Bloom, but it was obvious that he was still suffering from some sort of trauma from when it had happened.

Cadence leaned forward and kissed her son on the forehead before tucking him in under the covers. She turned off the lamp on his side of the bed and rounded the bed to her side before climbing up on top of it and laying down next to him. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Ok." Brady leaned forward and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Mom." He snuggled into the pillows and closed his eyes. Cadence smiled and lay down next to him, watching as he fell asleep. She only moved when she was sure that Brady was out before going to the living room and picking up the newspaper she had left behind.

Settling in on the couch she opened up the newspaper and picked up a highlighter, moving it over an apartment listing. She read it a couple of times then glanced over at the other four or five that she had marked before turning to another page. Truthfully, she could afford any and all of them. But she had to choose one that was realistic for a mother and son to live in by themselves. A place where no one would ask questions and she could figure out what to do next.

Cadence had been reading the newspaper for about an hour before she heard a knock at the front of the apartment. Startled, she sat still for a few moments, wondering who it was that wanted to get in contact with those inside. It couldn't be the landlord; she paid the rent on time every month so there was no need for him to come up. There wasn't anything that needed to be fixed. Of the few times that Lucas had come by the apartment he used his day job and trade skills to fix up some things for her. Cisco also wouldn't be dumb enough to come to the apartment by himself if he saw what part of the city she lived in after getting her address.

Nevertheless, there was a pause and another knock and the fire metahuman knew the person wasn't going away. It had to be someone that didn't pose a threat, if it were one of the Assassination Bureau; they would've just barged in.

She crept quietly towards the door and stood on her tip-toes to look through the peephole, letting out a sigh of relief when she recognized the person. Lowering herself to bottoms of her feet, she took off the top lock and the deadbolt before pulling open the door and peering out.

"Barry? What are you doing here?"

Barry turned around from the hallway as he heard his name called and smiled at Cadence. He lifted his hand in a wave before sliding it into the pocket of his jeans. "Hey Cadence." His smile then turned sheepish. "I know this is a bad time, kind of late and everything, but I was hoping I could talk to you about something?"

"Right now?" She asked.

"It's kind of important," Barry said. "I would've called. Or waited for a better time if it wasn't something I thought needed to be said."

Regarding him suspiciously, Cadence suddenly thought about what Brady had said before. She then visibly rolled her eyes, causing the fast metahuman's face to screw up in confusion, a little offended. She then raised her fingertips to her forehead and gently shook her head, pushing away the questions that her son had asked her about Barry before saying. "I wasn't rolling my eyes at you; I was rolling them at something that Brady asked me about you earlier."

Now Barry looked interested. "Oh yeah? What'd he ask?"

"Why you let him win at pool." She wasn't going to bring up the other thing. There was no point. "Thanks for spending that time with him, by the way. He wouldn't stop talking about it. He had a lot of fun."

Barry grinned, laughing lightly. "I didn't think it was a good idea to beat a kid that was just learning how to play pool. And I had fun, too. It's nice to be able to relax every once in a while. Even if it is with an eight year old." He then paused. "Actually, Brady is what I wanted to talk about."

Now Cadence panicked slightly. "He didn't break anything did he?"

Barry shook his head. "No."

"He didn't get in the way? Get on your nerves? He can ask a lot of questions sometimes, but that's just normal eight-year-old curiosity, I swear."

"No. No. None of that." Waving his hands so quickly that they started to blur, Barry let out a quick chuckle, diffusing the situation. "It's not that at all, Cade. It's just—"

"Mom?" At the sound of his voice, Cadence slowly closed her eyes and turned to glance at Brady as he stood behind her, tugging on the bottom of his nightshirt. "I had a bad dream," he said.

"I'll be there in a minute, baby," Cadence replied, gathering her hair up behind her with one hand and fanning the back of her neck with another, finding she was suddenly sweating. "I just…I have to talk to Barry for a few minutes."

Brady nodding and padding back into the bedroom. Cadence turned back to face her friend to find that he didn't appear shocked or surprised at all. In fact, there was a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth, creating a mixture of that and a smirk.

"You knew." It wasn't a question, but a statement. She could see on his face that he knew even before Brady had said anything.

"I didn't," Barry corrected her. "Not for a while. But as of late there have been a few things that made me realize that I knew." Cadence regarded him for a minute then took a step back so that he could enter the apartment. Closing the door behind him, she went into the bedroom to put Brady back to sleep before going back to the living room and found Barry looking at some of the pictures she had put on the wall. He turned as he heard her come back into the living room and motioned to the picture he held in his hand of Cadence lying back on the grass in a park of some sort and Brady lying on her chest, arms around each other and smiling widely. "I like this one."

"Yeah, that's my favorite." Cadence smiled at the picture before motioning for Barry to sit down on the couch. As it was low to the ground his knees came up awkwardly as Cadence pulled herself into the Indian style position. "So let's cut to the chase here, how'd you find out?"

Barry cleared his throat. "Genetically speaking it wasn't difficult," he explained. "Your facial features are very similar."

"But you didn't think we were siblings?"

"I did at first, because I didn't think you had a reason to lie," Barry admitted. "But then you said that you live in Metropolis, knew about Queen Industries and I figured that there had to be some sort of jobs that your parents had that would put them into the spotlight. It's like you said the people in Metropolis live well and they're some of the richer people nearby so…" He rubbed his neck. "It didn't take long to find a picture of your parents on the websites of where they work and I realized that you look a lot like your parents, but Brady looks a lot like you. I even though I was mistaken at first, but then I saw the way you two behave around each other.

"It's more of being a mother figure than being a sister figure and even though you may certainly have gotten custody of him after leaving Metropolis, it didn't look like that was the case." Barry rubbed the back of his neck. "There were little hints here and there. Mostly that whenever I would start to speak about your parents when both of you were around you'd change the subject. It didn't take long, I just wasn't sure. Up until that day at school where Brady didn't want you to leave…that was basically what cemented it for me. Because it reminded me of how close I was to my mother."

Cadence slowly nodded. She then brushed her hair back behind her ears, opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it once more. "Well…" she pursed her lips slightly. "I guess if anyone had to find out, I'm glad it was you."

"Really?" Barry tried to cross his legs but hit his shin against the coffee table. He let out a low curse under his breath and rubbed the spot as Cadence giggled quietly. "Why?"

"Because you didn't hesitate to let me know your identity after I figured it out," Cadence said, matter-of-factly. "Actually, I'm still surprised more people didn't find out. The same day you woke up from a nine-month coma, which a lot of people heard about, is the same day that 'the streak' came to Central City." She used air quotes around the words. "And you never questioned my keeping it a secret or what I could do…you were one of the first people that didn't treat me like a freak after you found out what _I_ could do." She shrugged, gently running her fingers through her hair. "I figure it's an even trade."

Barry smiled and nodded. "So…what about the others? Do you want me to tell them?"

Cadence paused as she thought about it and realized she didn't feel a weight on her shoulders. Now that more than Oliver knew, she didn't have to try and keep it to herself. Still, she wasn't sure how anyone would really react to it. Especially not Cisco, Caitlin, and Wells. People she thought had been friendly, the parents of her son's classmates had been nice at first, and then when they found out it was nothing but disgusted looks and comments on how she lived her life. Despite the fact she didn't think any of them would act that way, she couldn't risk it.

"You can if they ask you, otherwise I'd like to tell them in my own time," she explained.

"Ok. No problem." Barry sucked his lips into his mouth before tapping his hands on his knees in a weird pattern. "Well, I guess I should get going. I have some laundry that I need to do…even though the washing machine and dryers in my building don't work. But with my new powers I can super hand wash them in the sink, so I guess that's cool." He got up and started towards the door. "Thanks for letting me in and everything. I know that you were upset when Cisco found out where you lived and I guess I understand why now."

Cadence shook her head as she got up from the couch and went into the kitchen. "You're not going anywhere until you get something to eat." Barry started to protest and Cadence snorted. She ducked her head out of the way as she opened the freezer door. "I could probably hear your stomach growling all the way from China and I don't want you face planting in the middle of the street. Not in this area." She pulled out a carton of ice cream and set it on the counter before taking out a few bowls and spoons, making a sundae in the three bowls.

She handed one over to Barry and sat down at the small, round table. Barry sat across from her and started to eat his ice cream as well before glancing over at the bowl that was slowly starting to melt on the counter. Cadence waved the thought away with her spoon.

"Don't worry about it, he'll be up in another twenty minutes, I assure you," she said.

"Oh." Barry nodded and took another bite of his ice cream. He waited to swallow it before absentmindedly pushing the contents of the dessert around. "Um. So he's eight…and you're twenty-four…" Cadence nodded. "So you were sixteen when you had him?" Cadence nodded again. "Oh…would it be rude if I asked—"

"Not at all," Cadence interrupted. "In fact, it's usually the first question I get asked when people find out." She licked the back of her spoon before putting it down in the dish, studying it for a minute. "But…what I'm going to tell you…I haven't really told anyone else. Not except for those that were around me when it happened." She looked right at Barry. "I was sixteen when I had him," she clarified. "And I was seventeen when my parents kicked me out. Y'see, in Metropolis, _everyone_ knows your business because everyone likes to gossip. Especially with the city nearby, Smallville. Something happened in Smallville, everyone in Metropolis knew. Something happened in Metropolis, everyone in Smallville knew. So it didn't like long for news to spread.

"I was in love with my boyfriend, Ryder, at the time. We had been dating since we were fourteen, never really thought about what would happen after high school because we knew that relationships didn't really last afterwards so we made the best of it for the time we had. Though we did break up a couple of times in those two years, we did get back together. And, you know about teenagers in love, they always want to take the next step." Cadence scooped out another bite of ice cream, noticing that Barry had already finished his and was listening intently. "I don't regret having sex with him because that was fine. But either the condom came off or it broke, but I ended up pregnant."

"Wow," Barry remarked. "That must've been scary."

"Majorly scary. I had a great relationship with my parents, but even I was too afraid to say anything to them. Ryder and I thought we could get through it, but then his parents found out, and understandably freaked out. They told my parents, they freaked and it became this big thing. By then the whole school knew so I was starting to get bullied about it. My parents…they didn't, or couldn't, believe I had gotten pregnant and were embarrassed. So, using their power and money they made sure that it never got out. No media attention, no major news. It was like it didn't happen. But I still went to school until Brady was born. Not only after I guess being known as 'the ones whose daughter got pregnant at sixteen' became too embarrassing and they kicked me out."

Listening intently to the story, Barry frowned as he thought about something he had also wondered about since he figured out Brady was Cadence's son. Something he had wondered but didn't want to question because it wasn't his business as well as because he wasn't sure how she would react to the question. "Your boyfriend Ryder?" He asked. Cadence looked at him. "What happened with him?"

She gave an unamused smile. " _His_ parents were so embarrassed, because they have such high standing in Metropolis that they refused to let him see me anymore. Refused to let him be a part of Brady's life. I get child support from the family every now and then, but for the most part it's just me and Brady." She paused. "And you guys now, I guess."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

The silence between them wasn't as awkward as she thought it'd be after having spilled her guts. It was actually quite comfortable now that both of their secrets were out in the open between the two of them. _I should've said something a long time ago,_ Cadence thought. _Then again, you didn't know if you could trust him…or what anyone else was saying to you._

"Well, I'm glad things are better for you now," Barry said sincerely. He smiled at her, the smile so infectious that the female metahuman couldn't help but smile back. She took his dish and her own and placed it into the sink, running water over the two of them before taking the one for Brady and sticking it in the freezer for him the next day. "You know, all of us at STAR Labs, we're all here for you."

"I know that now," Cadence admitted. "Thanks Barry."

"You're welcome, Cade."

Cadence twisted her mouth to the side. "Out of curiosity, is your name short for something?"

Barry hesitated then finally admitted. "Bartholomew. It's not the best name in the world, but…" He shrugged. "Why?"

"Because I don't know anyone that would name their kid Barry considering how many mean nicknames you can get out of it," she explained with a teasing smile. "And because I've been trying to come up with a nickname for you other than Bare. Only because I'd rather _not_ think about you being naked every time I say it."

Barry started to agree and then did a double take. "What? Wait. Y-you…"

"Well, you'll never know for sure, will you?" Cadence smirked at him before continuing with, "It's getting late. I have an early class tomorrow."

"I know." Barry gave her a displeased look. "Iris is dragging me with her. So thanks for that." He headed towards the door of the apartment. "Thanks for inviting me in, taking the time to talk to me…you didn't have to tell me everything. But, I'm glad you did."

"So'm I," Cadence admitted. "Surprisingly. I guess I'm just surprised that you didn't…I don't know, hate me for it."

"Why would I hate you?"

She shrugged.

"Anyway, I can't hate a metahuman that's actually on my side." Barry smiled once more before opening the door. "Goodnight, Cade," he called before slipping out the door and started to walk down the hallway.

"Goodnight, Barry."


	20. New Assignment

**.:20:.**

_New Assignment  
_

* * *

 

"So you're telling me there's absolutely nothing wrong with me?"

"Well, if you want me to start with some of your clothing choice…" Cisco trailed off, turning away as Barry glared at him, crossing his arms. He cleared his throat, and picked up the clipboard that sat beside him and looked it over once more. "Anyway, as I was saying. There isn't anything here that proves that you're not sleeping well or that there is anything neurologically wrong with you."

Barry let out a short sigh, dropping back into the office chair that sat behind him. His eyes moved around Cisco's office as his friend sat down at his desk. Cisco's office wasn't one that many would be in and not crack a smile, in fact, Cisco had nearly made it a rule that if anyone were to come into his office they had to either be smiling or tell a joke. To start a day off with something positive made sense to Cisco's personality. The walls were lines with posters of his favorite movies and video games, and despite that, he still showed off his intelligence by the bookshelf filled to the brim with text books and publications that he had either achieved himself or were by those he admired.

However, this time around the two were confused.

"If…if I'm getting enough sleep, then why am I seeing my Mom everywhere?" Barry asked.

Cisco sucked his lips into his mouth. Brushing his shoulder length hair behind his ear, he gently pushed himself back and forth in his chair. He was just as stumped as Barry was. He wasn't a bioengineer like Caitlin was, but he knew how to run tests and measure the levels of Barry's glucose, energy, and everything else that came into play when dealing with the speedy metahuman. This was the thing that was throwing him off, however. When Barry first told him about his hallucinations, and explained how he hadn't slept very well, nearly walked out of the hole that Plastique blasted through the side of the building, and was starting to zone out whenever he spotted his mother, causing the people around him to worry.

But as Cisco had tested, there was nothing in his levels that would indicate there was anything wrong. He had even gotten Barry to take a nap so he could test his sleep cycles—not surprised to find that they moved just as quickly as Barry did at his top speed, thus giving him the ability to have five time as many dreams as a regular person could—and found nothing there. His reflexes were consistent, his mind moved as quickly as it had before, and his glucose levels didn't indicate any adverse affects from his hypoglycemia.

"That's something we need to find out," Cisco admitted. "I understand that your brain doesn't really stop processing when you're asleep, because it is moving at such a rapid pace. That we should've seen being able to happen when you were being tested with Operation, Chess, and Ping-Pong. As I've said, you go through your sleep cycles multiple times when you're asleep, a lot more than usual. It's possible that you may be having trouble coming out of that sleep cycle."

Barry frowned. "What do you mean? That I'm dreaming while I'm awake?"

"It's a theory," Cisco admitted. "However, that would mean that you mind isn't distinguishing reality apart from your dreams as easily. Or else that when you wake up, you're in the middle of a cycle of sleep that creates those dreams."

He picked up a yo-yo that rested on the edge of his desk and started to throw it up and down then doing the 'around the world' move. Barry was impressed for a minute, unable to successfully use a yo-yo without entrapping himself, until he recognized the zipping sound, and realized that it was an old-school Bop-It yo-yo where it immediately came back to the manipulator.

Barry laughed lightly before turning serious once more when Cisco asked, "Have you ever heard of Hypnagogia?"

The speedy metahuman thought for a moment before responding, "It's the point in time where you're in between falling asleep or waking up."

"Do you know the sorts of things that happen because of it?" Cisco pressed. Now Barry shrugged, unsure how it had anything to do with his situation. "It pretty much brings an idea to my theory of how fast you move. When you're in between the states of falling asleep and waking up some of the things that come from it is lucid dreaming, hallucinations and…sleep paralysis. And let me tell you dude, sleep paralysis is no joke. It's scary. I've had it once. I was waking up, but I couldn't move and then I saw the most horrific thing coming into my room that scared me so badly I'll never forget it."

"What?" Barry sat up, eyes widening slightly as he tried to imagine it. Sleep Paralysis. His whole body not being able to move? He was the fastest man alive and the idea of being completely paralyzed, although not something he thought much of, was terrifying.

"My grandma in a towel," Cisco said. The sudden shift of the mood in the room startled Barry for a moment before he started laughing. "Hey, don't laugh. You haven't seen it; you don't know how horrifying it is!"

"Sorry, Cisco, but that wasn't what I was expecting." Barry's smile faded and he dropped his head lightly, an expression of mild confusion swiftly replacing it. "But…so far we have nothing but theories. We don't have any proof…any answers to know what's going on. What if it happens again when I'm running somewhere? What if I zone out or something and people figure out it's me? What if I'm doing it while driving?"

"Barry, you don't have a car."

"But still, it's dangerous! What happens if I'm in the middle of a fight with a metahuman, in the middle of saving someone, and it happens again? I can't risk that. _We_ can't risk that!"

"Well…" Cisco sighed. This was the thing he didn't want to bring up. This was the hard stuff that would either bring Barry into a sort of catatonic state where he became so engrossed in his thoughts and memories that he lost sight of what was going on around him. Would he be able to recover from it? Cisco, as much of a jokester that he was, understood how Barry wasn't going to get over his mother's death so easily, not when he had witnessed it, not when he had been there to see everything in his life fall apart afterwards. "Barry…do you think that it might be because…well, we're kind of close to the anniversary of when you first got struck by that bolt of lightning, of the particle accelerator…and it's close to the anniversary of when your mother died—"

"—she was murdered, Cisco. She didn't die." The slight harshness to Barry's tone was almost palpable.

"Sorry." Cisco paused. "Do you think that you might just be feeling…guilty over what happened? Like, if you had gotten your powers before you might've been able to help her? To save her from whatever happened that night?"

Barry's eyebrows rose.

Cisco turned away as he waited for his friend to respond. It was hard to ask the question, hard to watch one of his best friends have to mentally relive the pain of what happened that night, putting it along with the feelings of what had been going on in his life recently. But he had been curious. How _did_ Barry feel with things getting so close? Did he ever stop and break down, wishing he had those powers long before so that he could've done something, if not to save his mother, but to save his father's life from imprisonment as well. To keep himself from having to endure the torture and ridicule he received from his peers as well as the massive amounts of sympathy bestowed upon him by the adults of Central City.

Not to mention the wrath of those that thought Henry Allen really did kill his wife. How was a little boy supposed to handle being 'the son of the killer'? Not very well, from what he had been told. Kids could be so cruel sometimes.

"Every time I think about my mother…I do wonder what could've happened if I could have gotten to her," Barry admitted; sadness evident in his voice. But he didn't break down. No, he was stronger now; he knew how to speak about the incident without that sense of rage and intense depression taking him over. "I wonder if there is a way I could go back into the past and do something. But, now I can only think about what I'm doing now. I'm helping people, I'm saving this city. I'm working to find the identity of that…man in the lightning so I can get my father out of jail." He waved a hand. "The anniversaries…yes, there's a part of me that wants to wallow in pity, but at the same time…I believe I become the Flash for a reason and even though I may not know it yet, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing until I find out."

Now Cisco grinned, inspired by Barry's words and his attitude. That's why they made such a great team, him, Wells, Caitlin—when Wells and Caitlin weren't acting so weird around each other—and Barry. Barry was a inspiration to them all, and while he probably thought of himself nothing short of an awkward nerd that enjoyed binge watching Netflix—probably a lot faster than most people could now—and staying up to date with everything in the physics field, the others knew there was a lot more to Barry Allen that met the eye.

He just hoped Barry knew it too.

"Right and it's not like there are any metahumans running around that can create hallucinations in people, right?" Cisco asked. He paused as he tapped his chin. "Though that would've been really helpful when I was in school."

Barry laughed as he stood up. "It's nice to see you have your priorities straight, Cisco," he remarked. "And thanks for agreeing to help me out and…not telling the others. We already have enough to worry about, with the Suicide Squad and what they're doing…with this…boomerang person that Oliver and the others are looking for. I don't want them to worry about this either."

"No problem, Barry. What are friends for?"

Barry grinned and nodded at Cisco before turning on his heel and leaving his office. That should've been the new rule Cisco made; not to have a smile when going into the office, to have a smile when leaving. And as Barry strolled out towards the main floor of STAR Labs, his smile grew wider when he received a text from Oliver that asked him to get to the warehouse area he, Felicity, Roy, and Diggle had been when they first arrived in Central City.

Putting his phone back into his pocket, Barry turned to leave STAR Labs. The world blurred around the edges of his vision as he went at his top speed, arriving on the steps of the warehouse a few seconds later. He casually sauntered up the steps of the warehouse, finding Oliver, Roy, and Cadence already waiting for him.

"Hey," he greeted them.

"You're late," Oliver said firmly, without a hint of a smile on his face. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck. "Which brings me to ask the question, how is it that you have the powers…the abilities that no one else does? To be able to run faster than anything we've ever seen and yet, still managed to get somewhere so late?"

"Habits die hard?" Cadence suggested with a light shrug. "He's late to nearly all of my Zumba classes too." She then tilted her head to the side, eyes flashing as she smirked. "Or, as per usual, he got caught up in the speed and wanted to see which new ways he could get here."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence, Cade, it's really appreciated," Barry replied with a light roll of his eyes. He then looked around. "Brady's not with you today?"

"Back to school, thankfully," Cadence replied. "Because nothing is better than having an eight year old follow you around all day, asking millions of questions."

Roy's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned towards the fire metahuman with a small smile tugging at his lips. "You teach Zumba classes?"

"We can talk about our individual extra-curricular activities at another time," Oliver broke in. He cleared his throat before placing his hands behind his back and starting to pace back and forth. "One thing that I take pride in is knowing what any given situation can throw at me," he said. "I don't go anywhere without being careful of my surroundings, thinking of places where someone can blindside me at a moment's notice. You always have to be on your toes. I've been to a few of the crime scenes that you've gone to with your work as the Flash, Barry, as well as gotten as much background information from you, and Cadence, as I can." He shifted his eyes over to the fire metahuman, who took in a quiet breath, face slightly turning pale. "And there are a few things that worry me."

"That worry you?" Barry repeated incredulously. He placed his hands on his hips. "Um. Okay. Like what?"

Oliver turned towards Cadence, who regained her composure. "From what I had scene when we first arrived and you were fighting Roy, as well as when we were practicing in STAR Labs, I noticed that you hadn't managed to get a grasp on your anger over the years and can see it as crutch in your fighting, especially as your emotions get the best of you. But then I remembered that you always had a bit of a temper, but now it appears that your powers have increased it to the point where your strength can rely on it. I believe if you can find a way to channel it in your skills, then you'd be even more prepared when it comes to these different….metahumans that you all go after."

Cadence nodded, listening intently.

"And then there's you, Barry." Oliver turned back towards the young man that appeared to always have a smile on his face. This time it was a tiny one, not sure whether or not it should make its full appearance or disappear completely. "You give…nicknames to the people you face, you rush into an area without hesitation, you go in and want to _play_ hero, rather than think about the consequences of each and every move you make. You don't think ahead." He turned to Roy and tilted his head in the opposite direction, a quick flick that sent across a message that Roy understood quickly.

The red archer reached out and gently touched Cadence's wrist, grabbing her attention. Barry noticed the movement and frowned slightly. "C'mon." Roy turned on his heel and started to lead Cadence off the other side of the wooden porch and through the grassy area that surrounded the abandoned warehouse.

"What are they doing?" Barry asked.

"Follow me." Oliver turned in the opposite direction and started down the wooden steps as well. "Don't worry about what they're doing. It isn't something you should allow to distract you, in moments of work your feelings should never get in the way." The green archer looked at Barry out of the corner of his eye, a look that Barry didn't quite catch.

Still, the quick metahuman looked back at Roy and Cadence once more as they walked across the grass to their training area, before he followed after Oliver at a quick pace, to match his stride.

"But that's the lesson I want to teach you, about distraction, knowing your surroundings just as easily as you know yourself." Oliver reached his motorcycle that was parked next to Roy's, and picked up a bow and a couple of arrows. "A 'hands on' training lesson if you will." He laced the bow with an arrow and turned, pointing it towards Barry. "I hope you catch my drift of what I want you to do?"

Barry regarded Oliver with suspicion. "You want to shoot me with an arrow?"

"I don't _want_ to. I want you to make sure that you _don't_ get hit by the arrow."

Now Barry let out an incredulous laugh. "I'm not doing this."

Oliver mimicked Barry's laugh with a hollow one of his own, face unflinching. "Yes, you are. You're going to go over there,"—he motioned with his bow to a grassy knoll—"And you're going to run at me and I'm going to shoot you. You never know what sort of weapons someone may pull on you in a fight. I'm merely getting you prepared."

"Fine." Barry held up his hands to show that he didn't intend to offend Oliver by refusing his practice. "I'll humor you and your crazy idea. But let me just remind you that I was against this idea from the very beginning." He pointed at Oliver as he turned away before zipping over to the grassy knoll. Standing atop of it, Barry could see Cadence and Roy battling with the same sticks they had used when in STAR Labs. He watched as Roy would get up close, to strike Cadence in the face or near her shoulders and sides, much like poking someone to annoyance, to get her to work on her control.

He could already see her starting to improve.

"Are you ready?"

At Oliver's call, Barry turned away from the two and turned back to the green archer, who already had his bow drawn. Barry nodded and raced towards Oliver at full speed, the world around him blurring once more. He watched as Oliver slowly pulled back the arrow and let it go, watched as it slowly came towards him, and brought up a hand, grabbing onto it.

A bemused grin lit up Barry's face as he regarded Oliver with a little bit of smugness. "You're going to have to move faster than that," he remarked.

Oliver's eyebrows merely rose, now an amused smile sliding onto his face, seconds before intense pain slapped Barry against the back and lower leg. He screamed as a lightning bolt of pain surged through his body, radiating white-hot in his back and leg. Twisting around, he saw the ends of arrows poking out of his back and lower right calf. Blood seeped down his leg and soaked into his sock, staining it a maroon color. He could already feel blood running down his back, drying as the seconds passed, creating a thin, crusty layer against his skin. The intensity of the itch increased as he felt the wounds on his body close.

"Y-you shot me!" He cried.

"Yeah, well, I heard you heal fast." Oliver walked around Barry and pulled out the arrows with a sharp tug, causing him to scream again. "Well, would you look at that? You're a fast bleeder, too." Catching his breath, Barry whipped around and focused as Oliver pulled a cloth from his pocket and started to clean the ends of the arrows, stopping by a metal contraption on the ground. Spring-loaded bows. "This is what I mean when I say you should be aware of your surroundings, Barry. If you cased the area, you would've known that I placed a lot of different traps like these around."

Barry frowned, already irritated by Oliver's superior attitude. Wasn't he supposed to be helping him? Instead, he was treating Barry like an insignificant child. Someone that wasn't his equal, no less. Reacting quickly, without even thinking about it, Barry turned and aimed a punch towards Oliver's head, hoping to catch him off guard. Hoping to prove to Oliver that he was able to think as quickly as his body could move.

But Oliver reacted just as quickly and brought his bow up, casing Barry's arm to slow as his hand caught end of the string on the bow. Oliver twisted the bow around, entrapping Barry's arm even further, and brought it around so that it and his hand were pressed against his neck. He held him for a second before pushing Barry away from him and when Barry turned back, he could see Oliver's eyes dancing.

"You're going to have to move faster than that," Oliver taunted him.

The words caused Barry to press his lips together into a smirk before charging towards Oliver once more, this time using his speed. The two whipped around each other, Barry using his abilities to get around Oliver so that he could strike his weak areas, and Oliver doing his best to duck, bob, and weave out of the way of the barrage of attacks. Despite moving quickly and having a bit of the upper hand, Oliver felt a series of blows rain on his body and eve his best moves to get away from Barry—to dive to the side and do a quick dodge roll for added distance, if not a series of attacks back at Barry—didn't always work.

Finally, the two came apart from each other before Oliver grabbed more arrows, strung them, and let them fly in rapid succession. They struck the ground in front of Barry, exploding and sending out a cloud of dirt and dust that blocked Barry from view. Oliver quickly raced into the smoke, hoping to catch Barry off guard, but found a strong kick to the backs of his legs and an arm around his neck before he was thrown to the ground. The smoke settled and as Oliver rolled back onto his shoulder blades and pushed off with his hands and a bucking motion of his lower body, propelling him back to his feet, he found Barry standing in front of him, arms crossed.

"Nice job," Oliver said honestly.

"Thanks."

"Now try this."

The two charged towards each other again.

* * *

 

Harley Quinn let out an impatient sigh. Resting her giant mallet onto the ground, she rested her palm against the end and cocked her body to the side, her other hand resting on her hip. Lifting her eyes, she looked over at Breathtaker, as he stood behind Leah, silently encouraging her.

Leah walked over to Cadence, who stood in the middle of the floor, staring straight ahead, as if in a trance. The older woman held up her hand and gently pressed her fingertips to Cadence's forehead. The light blue glow that rested in Cadence's eyes slowly increased in brightness as the seconds passed.

Harley sighed loudly. "Couldn't we just go and get this Wells guy ourselves?" She asked. "Why do we need her? It's more fun if we just went to the labs and forced out way in." She picked up her mallet and lovingly stroked it. "Besides, nothing is better than the sound of people getting whacked with this thing. It's like music to my ears!" She let out a giggle before Leah turned to her, keeping her hand pressed against Cadence's forehead.

"This has all been explained before," Leah said calmly. "The Suicide Squad is to help us to get Wells. Once we have him, we'll have the whole city under our finger tips."

"You're going to have to bring me up to speed here," Harley replied, then laughed a crazy laugh at her own joke, red and black pigtails bobbing as she did so.

Leah turned back to Cadence, concentrating on her. "This is the whole plan," She said. "Harrison Wells is one of the most powerful men in the city. He has the means to get his hands on whatever means we need. Weapons of destruction, contacts in with the military…what we want, he has. He has the power to control this whole city by himself if he wanted. The Particle Accelerator was only a little bit of what he could do. He made that Barry Allen kid a superhero, gave him powers we could only dream of…and the other…" Her lips curled into a smirk.

Harley listened quietly, gently twitching every now and then. "Geez, and I thought my puddin' was connected."

"There's only one way to get to him and you know how. He'll do anything to protect his work, and his recent work…his recent obsession is Barry. We all know that. And that's what you were assigned to do. You were assigned to watch Barry. But we don't need that anymore, we need to take action now. So your assignment has changed. You're going to take us to Barry, make sure the time is right for you…for us to capture him. And when you capture him, make sure that Harrison Wells knows of it; make sure he sees so that he'll want nothing more than to get him back. That'll bring Wells to us. You can even kill Barry if you want, we don't need him once we've captured him. Once you do that…we'll take care of the rest. We just need to make sure you're not going soft on him…got it?"

Cadence's eyes glowed a bright blue as Leah pulled her hands away from the fire metahuman's face. The blue glow faded back to its green color but the damage had been done. Cadence slowly nodded before replying, "I understand. Capture Barry, kill Barry, kill Wells."

"Good work, Mindboggler," Breathtaker said to her. "Now we must be sure the others are ready."

"Oh yeah!" Harley cheered, punching her fist and mallet into the air. "This is going to be sah-weet!"


	21. Foreshadow

**.:21:.**

_Foreshadow_

* * *

 

Cisco whistled to himself as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets.

His breath fogged in front of his face as he walked along, heading towards STAR Labs. Looking up at the dilapidated, shell of a former thriving lab used to make him depressed. His job had basically been destroyed the day that the particle accelerator had blown sky-high. Most that would've gone through it would have left Central City, changed their jobs, maybe even changed their name so they wouldn't be associated with the incident that had devastated the city and created so much trouble with the metahumans.

Honestly, he had felt that way shortly after having been discharged from the hospital. Not only did he have nowhere to go, but his parents were calling and asking for him to return him. That was the last thing he had wanted to do. He didn't want to prove that he didn't have enough wits to continue to live on his own, away from his family. That the explosion was the setback that would have him go the career route they wanted him to.

But now that he was still working with STAR Labs, he couldn't think about doing anything else. Not only was he still getting his life's work done and expanding his horizons in the mechanical engineering field, but being in on something like The Flash, was his dream come true. And 'The Flash' being one of his best friends, was even better. He had always been so into superheroes, the powers they had, and wanting to figure out their identities. Now that he _knew_ two of the newest, upcoming superheroes and being one on the team of people that strived to help the citizens of Central City as well as he could, he felt a greater sense of accomplishment than ever.

Still, he couldn't help but worry. There were so many new metahumans coming out nearly on a daily basis, those that were getting stronger by the day. And then there were the added complications with Barry's powers. He had to cram so many Cisco bars down his throat, more than Cisco could make in a week's time and it was bound to catch up to them, and not knowing what was the true cause of Barry's hallucinations was starting to worry him.

 _But isn't that the point of what we're doing?_ Cisco thought as he stopped on the street corner, waiting for the light to change. He tilted his head back and looked up at START Labs where some portions of the city had been blown away in the explosion. _To do everything we can to help everyone we can? And it's like Wells says; a scientist's work is never done. So our work with the Flash shouldn't be done either._

Now a smile stretched across Cisco's face. He loved his life.

Glancing around as he waited for the light to change, Cisco watched as a group of people started across the other side of the street. He started to look away, then stopped and did a double-take. "No way," he breathed, squinting.

He leaned forward, trying to get a better view. _There's no way that's her…_ bobbing and weaving, even standing on his tip-toes and flapping his arms—as if it would allow him the ability to fly—Cisco tried to get a better look at the woman. As he settled back on his heels he finally spotted her making her way through the crowd in powerful, confident strides, although there was still that sense of apprehension on her face, in her eyes. Even from where he was standing, Cisco could see she was doing her best not to let her glove covered hands to touch anyone else, lest her powers were able to move through the fabric and into the skin.

Bette.

"No way," he repeated. And as if she could hear him, Bette turned his way and they two made eye-contact. In that moment Cisco wanted to do something that would get her attention; a wave, a smile, as shout of recognition. _Something._ But then before he could move, it all came back to him, the image of her explosion slamming into his brain. She had imploded, there was no way she could've survived it. _Unless her powers make it so that she can withstand it, if that's the case and Eiling knew, it was no wonder he was chasing after her._

Before Cisco could decide what to do, Bette turned away and disappeared into the crowd. He tried to follow her movement, but she was gone quicker than he could move. He looked back over his shoulder one more time before hurrying into STAR Labs where he found Harrison and Cadence playing a game of chess—or as he could see, Harrison smirked as he watched Cadence struggle to play chess—while Barry and Caitlin were playing ping-pong. In that case, Cisco laughed a little when he saw that Caitlin seemed to be losing every hit that Barry sent his way.

"Seriously, Caitlin, this is starting to become really pathetic," Barry commented, crossing his arms. "Almost as bad as Cadence is losing to chess over there."

"I'm sure she'll learn it at some point," Harrison remarked with a light laugh of amusement, he moved a chess piece forward with a claim of, "checkmate," causing the fire metahuman to slump forward on the table.

"I only moved three times," she complained.

"It's a difficult game to learn, you must have patience." Harrison reset the pieces on the board and motioned for her to go first. "You must think a few steps ahead when it comes to mastering this game. But you were always able to put your mind to something and achieve it. I don't doubt you're able to do it here either."

"Don't worry about it, Cade," Cisco reassured her. "Even if you learn how to play, Dr. Wells is the toughest competitor. Not even the smartest person in the world can beat him."

"Think of it this way, Cade, it can't be any worse than the way you play darts," Barry called to her as Caitlin retrieved the ball that went flying by her. She glanced over at Harrison, quickly looking away when she saw that his eyes had slid over to hers as well.

At Barry's words, Cadence leaned over to the desk that sat beside her and grabbed a handful of pencils that sat in the pencil cup. She twisted in her sat and pointed the sharpened ends of the pencils towards Barry. "Don't mess with me, Barry. I've been practicing and unless you want to be turned into a pin cushion, I wouldn't joke." She clenched her other hand into fist. "Detective Pretty Boy won't see it coming when I kick his ass."

"Language," Harrison said before he could stop himself. When all eyes turned to him, he focused his gaze on the chess board, waiting for Cadence to take her turn. "I don't particularly believe there is a correlation between cursing and professionalism, however I do hold my colleagues to a higher esteem than others would." Correcting himself, he shifted in his wheelchair, bringing his hands to his lap, a heavy sigh nearly undetectable as he focused on the chessboard.

"Right." Cisco went over to Barry and grabbed onto his arm. "I need to talk to you for a minute."

Caitlin nearly crushed the ping-pong ball in her palm in her panic, realizing what would happen if the two boys went off alone. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Cisco paused for a moment. Should he bring Caitlin in on this? He really did trust what she had to say about many things, but what if she thought he was going crazy too? Barry, he knew, would immediately believe him, considering he was quick to believe Barry's concerns with seeing his mother everywhere.

"This is just guy talk, Cait, don't worry about it." Cisco held onto Barry's wrist and dragged him into an adjoining office. "Okay, I know this is going to sound weird, but either I'm having the same problem you are, or there might be some sort of a metahuman that can create ghosts or something."

Barry regarded him with confusion before raising an eyebrow. "Okay, Cisco, I think you might be working a little bit too hard. Maybe you should take the day off."

"No, no, listen." Cisco pressed his palms together then rested his thumbs on his lips. "On the way to work today…I saw Bette." Now Barry regarded him with an expression of surprise. "I know it sounds weird, especially after she blew sky high, which was, in a way, so awesome. I thought she had…" he trailed off, a lump appearing in his throat. "I thought she was gone, man, as much as it hurt. I kept telling myself that she was gone. But now…I saw her. And she saw me, I know she did."

Barry chewed his lower lip for a minute. "Cisco…"

"I _saw_ her!" Cisco hadn't meant to raise his voice as high as he did, but he now felt exactly how Barry did when he first explained the situation he was in. He and the speedy metahuman flinched as there was a sudden crashing sound and watched as the glass in the window of the office suddenly shattered, spraying over the floor. "Whoa."

"How'd that..." Barry started, but was cut off as the door to the office opened and Caitlin quickly slipped inside. "Caitlin."

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized, looking over her shoulder. "But I can't stand not knowing what's going on, Cisco. Especially since you appear so distressed." She walked up to her friends' sides and looked back and forth between the two of them. "What's going on?"

Barry and Cisco exchanged a glance before Barry sighed heavily, explaining the whole story. He explained how he had some trouble sleeping, how he had heard and seen his mother at the crime scene when Bette had blown a hole in the side of the office building, how he continued to see her around and he wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or if she were truly there, how he was trying not to sleep because of it, how Cisco had found out and the two had run tests. He barely had the words out of his mouth, Cisco starting his story, before Caitlin exploded.

"I don't believe you!" She cried. "How can you keep something so important from me? Especially when it has to do with your health!" She walked forward and pushed Barry on the shoulder so that he sat down on the corner of the desk and produced a small flashlight out of the pocket of her lab coat. "Hold still." She flicked on the light and started to pass them in front of Barry's eyes, inspecting his pupils. "Have there been any other side-effects that you've become aware of?"

"He's fine, Cait," Cisco said to her. "We've done some tests and there hasn't been anything that would indicate it."

Caitlin turned other friend and crossed her arms over her chest. "Excuse me, Cisco, but we wouldn't be in this mess if you had told me what was going on in the first place." Cisco paused as he thought about it then gave her a sheepish smile. She turned back to Barry and her face and voice both softened. "How come you didn't say anything, Barry? Don't you understand how dangerous this could be?"

"I didn't think there was any reason to worry," Barry admitted, hanging his head before Caitlin forced it back up and tested his eyes by slowly moving her fingers back and forth so that he could follow her movements with his eyes. "I mean…my Mom's dead; I just thought there was some sort of reasonable explanation to it."

"But seeing your mother?" Caitlin placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know you miss her a lot, Barry. But when things like this happen…maybe you just need someone to talk to. And, well, I know a lot about losing someone you love."

Barry smiled and brought his hand up, placing it on Caitlin's. "Thanks, Cait. I really do mean that. But…I really do hope that it's something that's just going on with my powers. Honestly, I'm tired of talking about it."

"You kind of can't help that when you're the one that's always bringing up the conversation," Cisco pointed out. Caitlin and Barry both turned and glared at him and he smiled, pointing towards the door. "You know what, I'm just going to leave you two to talk about this, okay?"

Catlin laughed lightly as her friend left the office, closing the door behind him. As she turned back, she noticed the emptiness of the window. She motioned towards it and started to ask Barry about it, but was cut off as Barry made a motion to not ask. She lightly shook her head, turning back to face Barry completely.

"Do you ever…really talk about what happened, Barry?"

"Yes and no. I talk to Joe about what happened, especially since he's helping me try to find her killer. But…I don't want to have to relive it. But I can't get it out of my head. Nearly every time I close my eyes, I see her. Almost everywhere I go reminds me of her. I see my Dad as often as I can, but knowing he was framed…put in there because he was a scapegoat just makes me angry. And it sucks, Caitlin." He brought his eyes up to his personal physician. "It sucks. I have these powers that will make me able to get him out of jail and as far away as I possibly can, but I can't do it. He'd be a fugitive for life and even if Joe knew what I was doing, my reasons for it, he wouldn't have a choice but to turn me in. I have these abilities to help people…but I can't even help myself."

As Barry lowered his head, awash with his feeling of guilt, Caitlin reached out and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She knew exactly how he felt. Everything he had said was everything she wondered herself. What if she had been able to get powers from the particle accelerator explosion? What if there had been something that would've happened that could have given her the opportunity to save her fiancé when things had started to go nuclear? And just like Barry saw his mother everywhere, she saw Ronnie everywhere. In her house, in her clothes—he always complimented everything she wore, in her daily commute to work—the perk of working together was that they didn't have to worry about wasting gas; he even got her to sing in the car on the way despite knowing she had a bad singing voice, but wanted her to sing anyway.

And much like she had refused to go down to the particle accelerator after it had been turned into metahuman jail, she refused to go on the other side of the building, to where his office was. It was just going to be exactly the same way it had always been. Untouched, but still held that boyish charm that he managed to show no matter how serious he could be.

And it hurt just as much presently as it did then.

Caitlin felt Barry's arms go around her waist and the two hugged, holding onto each other for comfort as they commiserated in what they both lost. When there was sufficient time for the hug, Caitlin pulled away from Barry and smiled warmly at him, to which he returned with a smile of his own.

"If it helps, Cait, I think you're a lot stronger than you are," Barry said after a minute. She blinked at him in confusion. "Being able to constantly come back here…to face all of these things…these metahumans we've been dealing with…don't ever think that you're weak if you have a moment where things become too much for you to ignore. That offer goes both ways…if you ever want to talk."

"I'll come find you," Caitlin promised. She then gave a teasing smile as she crossed her arms. "I must say, Mr. Allen, for someone who has a tendency to trip over themselves in conversation, you're really easy to talk to."

"Thank you."

"Yes, it appears that Mr. Allen has many talents were have not been aware of." Caitlin sucked in a short breath before turning to the side, watching as Harrison wheeled himself through the doorway to the office. "Not to sound like I'm a parrot and it appears that there are a lot of conversations that are going on, but I do need to have a word with Dr. Snow."

"Of course."

If Barry noticed the tension between the two of them, he didn't make note of it, as he jumped down from the desk and walked out of the room. Caitlin watched him leave, and then turned back to Harrison, noticing he had kept his eyes on her, causing a chill to fall down her spine. Not one of unease, but…of knowing he had been paying attention.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I assume that Cisco told you what's been going on with Barry," Harrison stated calmly, resting his hands in his lap. Caitlin nodded. "Have you come up with any mean that would prove whether or not Barry's powers are the ones inhibiting him?"

Caitlin let out what sounded like an impatient sigh. "No, I haven't thought about it yet," she said. "I'm just…trying to think what would be a reasonable explanation for it. Something we can figure out before it gets worse." She then paused, forcing herself to look him in the eye. She wasn't scared of him. "I know you didn't come in here to talk about Barry."

The corner of Harrison's mouth lifted and he gave an abbreviated laugh before reaching up and fiddling with his glasses. "I'm not someone that likes to act like there is nothing going on when it surely is. In fact, it greatly infuriates me when that does transpire." He tilted his head to the side. "Especially as you've been effectively avoiding me and while that doesn't make me angry, your reasoning behind it does."

Now Caitlin felt a flash of intense frustration. "You kissed me!" She blurted.

"I did."

That caused Caitlin to falter for a moment. She didn't expect him to be so blunt, so…casual about the whole thing. "You….you took advantage of my feelings," she said. "I was…I was opening up to you about something personal and you took advantage of me."

"Did I?" Harrison tilted his head to the side. "You had every mean of stopping me when you wanted to." He wheeled closer to her, looking up at her with his intense eyes. "But I don't believe you wanted me to. It's like Barry said, you're a strong woman. You can make your own decisions. You decided to continue working here even after Ronnie's passing and while I know you're always going to have him in your heart, you and I both know that you've moved on through your work with Barry."

Caitlin listened to him, stubbornly hoping she'd find the strength to tell him he was wrong. To keep her composure and to tell him off. Instead, she found herself allowing her emotions to come over her once more. Emotions that had started o come out when talking to Barry and now it had reached its breaking point.

Dr. Wells sure had a way of getting under her skin in ways she couldn't imagine.

Bringing her arm back, Caitlin moved to slap him again, but Harrison swiftly brought up his hand and caught her by the wrist, all the while still watching her. She gasped in surprise, waiting for that sting against her hand, but feeling nothing but a gentle grasp around her wrist.

A long stretch of silence passed between them until Harrison slowly lowered his hand until his fingers gently grasped hers, a show that he wasn't going to hurt her. "Caitlin, I want to ask you the same thing I had asked you before. Why do you continue to torture yourself over things you can't change? You can't change what happened to Ronnie…you can't change the fact that I kissed you and that you kissed me back."

"I…"

"I've never lied when I said you're a remarkable woman, Caitlin. As a matter of fact I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little attracted to you when I first met you in the interviewing process to hire you. Not only had I been attracted to you physically, but I was attracted to your brain, to the open and honest and…determined way you presented yourself. I see that in you as the go on and it's not something I can ignore." He finally dropped her hand, looking away. "And I can't help but feel that you feel the same way…but that you're too afraid…too stuck in the past to tell me the truth."

Caitlin finally found her voice as she steeled herself. "Why haven't you told Cadence you're her father?"

He seemed to have expected the question for her turned back to her very quickly. "How would you like to have the life you've always known to be ripped away from you all for someone else's selfishness?" He reached out and pulled up his leg so that it crossed over the other one. "Instead, I focus my selfishness on being able to share this with her, even though she doesn't have any real reason why. Why I continued to play games of chess with her…to figure out how much of her temperament is like mine or her mother's. I want to be able to study her face, to look into her eyes to see which part of me was taken by her."

"And…?"

"And I've found that feeling that many men have…the want to protect their daughters…I want to protect her from herself, to keep her from limiting her abilities as she's had to have done for years. I want to protect her in every sense of the word. I worry when she goes out to fight alongside Barry, even more than I do for Barry as he needs to be protected from people such as the likes of General Eiling. And it hurts more as Barry understands where I stand in his life…but she doesn't. And neither do you. Nor I, in yours."

Caitlin pressed her lips together.

"I'd hoped that with the time that's passed and your not so clever attempt at hiding from me it'd give you a chance to see…to feel what it was that you've been hiding from yourself this past year."

Now Caitlin found her shoulders slumping and she was angry again. Angry that he could see right through her. Angry that he could take one look at her and see what she was feeling, know what she was thinking, and say it all back to her so calmly as if he was mentioning that the wind was blowing outside. A tear, hot and quick, slid down Caitlin's cheek.

"You seem to already know how I feel," she murmured.

"But I want to hear you say it."

Once again, Caitlin allowed her emotions to take over and she reached out and grabbed Harrison's face and kissed him. This time she allowed her emotions to take her away from everything that was surrounding her, pressure, fear, worry. She needed to stop focusing so much on that and to focus on what made her happy. And while she was a bit sad, worried about turning her back on Ronnie and his memory, she knew he'd always have a place in her heart and would want her to move on. To move on with someone she actually really liked.

Harrison brought his hands up and ran them through Caitlin's hair as they kissed again. An angry, hot sort of kiss that allowed their equal frustration to come out between them and as that frustration cooled so did the kiss. Caitlin pulled back, resting her forehead against Harrison's as she caught her breath, and then pulled back completely. She laughed lightly as Harrison reached up and corrected the glasses that had become askew on the ridge of his nose, jostled by their intense kiss.

Then Caitlin felt a bit subconscious again. What would've happened if Barry or Cisco or Cadence had walked in? But there was another part of her that came alive with that kiss, a little excited at the prospect, especially as she intuitively knew Dr. Wells wouldn't be quick to announce their…whatever it was they were.

"I suggest you go out there," Harrison said, tilting his head back. His eyes flashed with amusement, with their shared secret as Caitlin mutely nodded. She was surprised to see that his hand was around hers, having not noticed it until she started to move. "We don't want someone to think there's something going on."

Then he winked, causing Caitlin to flush and practically scurry from the room, trying her hardest to keep her giddy smile from sliding onto her face. They kissed. She and Dr. Wells had kissed. _Again,_ she reminded herself. _And it was so much better than the first one_ …she went back to the lab floor, noticing that Cisco and Cadence appeared to be in an intense conversation as Barry turned back and forth as each of them spoke. Caitlin silently took the chair that was open next to Cadence, crossing her legs at the knee, absentmindedly smoothing her dress down across her knees.

"Oh come one, Cade, Flash Fire is a really good one," Cisco said as he held a package of twizzlers out to her. The fire metahuman's eyes lit up and she took a few piece of candy before leaning back in her seat. "It's probably the best one I've ever come up with. You can't deny me that."

"I already told you that I'm not going to go by that name," Cadence replied stubbornly. She appeared a little uncomfortable.

"But Barry's 'the Flash'. If we don't want anyone to know his identity, we don't want anyone to know yours either," Cisco protested.

Barry held up a hand. "He has a point."

Cadence gave him the finger. "Don't defend him! You're supposed to be on my side."

"Of what? Metahumans versus humans?"

"That's the last thing we'd need," Cisco reminded his friends. "Trust me. Not only would that be disastrous for metahumans, and the city, but what would that means for any other superhero out there? Would they be turned against them too? And I don't know about you, but I don't think even you two can withstand a nuclear bomb going off in your faces."

"He has a point," Caitlin finally spoke up.

"So I insist that _I_ give you a codename," Cisco continued. "What about SpitFire?"

"No." Cadence took a bite of a twizzler and reached out, handing the other one to Caitlin, who took it with a smile.

"Oh come on, I like that one! Glow Stick?"

"Glow Stick?"

"That's not one of your best," Barry added.

Cisco ignored him. "Vulcan?"

"Do I look like I have a special hammer as weapon?"

"Fever?"

"No."

"Rampage?"

"That….that one's actually kind of cool," Cadence admitted with a small smile but then shook her head. She shuffled her feet. "Some people used to call me Brigade?"

Now Caitlin's nose wrinkled. "Brigade?"

"Closest thing that rhymed with my nickname."

"Sorry, but even I don't like that one," Cisco determined. He picked out another twizzler and waved it at Cadence, it flopped around lifelessly. "Don't worry, I'll come up with a codename for you, just you wait. I'm a master at these."

"That's what I like about you, Cisco," Cadence declared. "You don't give up." She then propelled herself forward by moving her feet across the floor and took another twizzler. "And you have good taste in candy." She laughed and ruffled his hair before moving back to her original position, turning towards Caitlin. "What's up, chick? You look like you just got into a fight or something."

"No!" Caitlin said quickly. She brought a hand up to her face, annoyed that she still felt warm. She had to have been blushing. "I didn't get into a fight…I'm just…thinking about something." She hoped the conversation would end at that, but she felt Cadence's eyes on her and lowered her voice, leaning towards the girl. If there was anyone she could try to talk to about this it would be her. Some girl time was always needed and having been with Cisco and Barry for so long made her realize how much she truly did need it. "There's…this guy," she said.

"There always is," Cadence remarked with a light laugh.

"And, well, we kissed twice. But…I don't know; there's still some hesitation about it. There's an age difference and—"

"So? If you're both consenting adults…"

"I know, I know. But…" Caitlin chewed her lower lip. "I don't know, I guess I'm just nervous."

Now Cadence's face softened as she waved her hand. "Everyone's nervous when it comes to starting a new relationship. But if you already kissed, then I'm sure that's a good sign." She paused, studying Caitlin's face. "Actually, I think I know what can help you. Why don't we go shopping, to up your wardrobe, give you some more confidence. It's like what I said at that carnival."

"Before or after you harped on me about potentially popping the moon bounce with my heels?"

Cadence's laughter was infectious and soon Caitlin found herself laughing as well. In fact, she felt better…if not a little guilty, knowing what Harrison was keeping from her. But it wasn't like she even knew what was going on either, or how close they truly were. "You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

"Because we're friends," Cadence said, matter-of-fact.

Caitlin smiled and gave the fire metahuman a hug, not entirely surprised when she hugged back. Breaking the hug, Caitlin looked at Harrison over her shoulder and a small smile slid onto her face.


	22. Mood Swings

**.:22:.**

_Mood Swings  
_

* * *

 

"Eddie."

Iris reached out and gently rubbed her boyfriend's back. He reached behind him and gently swatted his girlfriend's hand away before pulling the blankets up higher over his head. "Eddie!" Now Iris placed both hands on his back and shook him hard. "C'mon, get up. You're going to be late."

Rolling onto his other side, Eddie glanced at her through cracked eyes, giving an adorable smile, causing Iris's resolve to start to melt .She hated how he was able to do that so easily to her. How he was able to have everything clichéd that could happen to someone happen. Butterflies, chills, the whole nine yards. And the funny thing was at first she didn't like him much, he was arrogant, and had a 'look at me' kind of personality that seemed to show off the chip in his shoulder. And being the daughter of his new partner, Eddie did everything he could to try and impress Iris, but it hadn't worked.

It wasn't until he had taken it one step too far, where he had gone on and on about the arrest that he had just made, focusing more on the fact that he had been so in shape to chase down the suspect in a matter of minutes, that Iris had finally snapped and put him in his place, saying he didn't need to impress her because she was his partner's daughter. And that if anything, he needed to stop outwardly trying to prove everything to his co-workers when all he had to do was a good job and he'd gain respect that way.

Eddie had sat in his chair, stunned for a minute, before replying with a simple, "You're right." He ran a hand through his hair before clasping his hands together between his knees. "You're totally right. And I'm sorry. I guess I was just…"

"Trying to suck up to your partner's daughter? I get that. It happens nearly every time he gets a new one." Iris turned back to her phone, scrolling through her websites and doing her best to avoid looking at her school's website for her homework. "My Dad likes to think that the people he works with are his family and by that, they have to get along with me and that's fine, because the CCPD is like my family, too." She turned towards Eddie and looked him in the eye with a small smile. "But I don't like it when they're trying to be someone they're not."

Eddie then nodded, thanked Iris for her time, and left the break room, where Iris had been waiting for her father to go out to lunch before going over to the hospital to see if Barry had improved from his coma or if there was any other news of his condition one way or another. Then, when she returned from the hospital to pick up her things before heading off to a few hours of work before her class, she found Eddie waiting for her with a cup of coffee.

"It's a peace offering," Eddie explained to the confused expression on her face. "To make sure that things really are cool between us."

"I already told you, this isn't going to impress—"

"I'm not trying to impress anyone, I'm being honest. I don't want you to hate me," Eddie twisted his mouth to the side before continuing with. "I don't know if you noticed, but I sometimes have a tendency to come across as being a bit arrogant."

"Really? I actually hadn't noticed."

Iris's sarcasm caused Eddie to smile a little. He held the cup of coffee out towards her a bit more and she relented and took it from him. Examining it for a minute, she twisted the Styrofoam cup around so that the opening was pointed towards her and took a sip. Her favorite. She regarded him suspiciously but he didn't let on whether or not he had done anything to figure out exactly how she liked her coffee.

"Well, thank you." She raised the coffee cup slightly. "I need to get going."

"Have a good day, Iris."

"You too, Eddie." Turning on her heel she added silently, _Detective Pretty Boy_ as a slight smile graced her features. She didn't know that he would be the one that she eventually would start to open up to about her worried about Barry, about what would happen when he woke up, what would be different, how things would go. And Eddie listened patiently throughout everything, giving her advice when she needed it or just being there to listen. Soon enough, the two of them started to go out to dinners and movies and spending a lot of time together.

Their first kiss had been initiated by her and she had surprised Eddie and even herself when the kiss had ended. It was like everything around the two of them had faded away and there was nothing else that existed but them. Then, like a high school girl, she had become embarrassed, quickly said goodnight and raced into the house, knowing her father wouldn't be home for a while so she had enough time to calm down and think about everything. It was after that they had decided if things were going to continue, it would stay a secret from Joe. Eddie had wanted to come out with it right from the beginning but she convinced him not to.

She hadn't really known the reason why then and still didn't know why now. She really did love him, quirks and all.

"Do I have to?" he whined like a little boy. "I just want to stay in bed all day." He looped an arm around her waist. "With you." His smile stretched, causing Iris to grin back, before kissing him.

Then she leaned back, tucking her long hair behind her ear. "I wish we could," She admitted. "But I'm going into the city today and you have to get to work. I don't think Captain Singh will be happy if you called in sick this late."

"He'll be annoyed if _I_ called in sick this late," Eddie pointed out. He trailed off, hoping she would understand what he was implying. Judging by the mock-stern look she sent his way, she understood it perfectly. "I'm kidding, babe. Don't worry." Now he leaned over and gave her a kiss before pulling back the covers and sliding out of bed. He reached over to the floor and stepped into a pair of slacks before jumping into them, sliding it up over his thin hips. "But I do have a lot of vacation days lined up. Maybe I can ask for a week off and we can go away. Maybe to Keystone or Vegas or something."

Iris slid out of bed herself and went over to the closet go get her own clothes for the day. She snorted, examining her options. "And have Dad constantly wonder what we're up to, maybe even call the hotel ahead of time to have them take the door off of our room?"

"I don't think he'd go that far."

"No?"

"No. He'd probably have a security guard stationed outside of our room all night."

The two laughed and got ready for the day, moving just like a married couple would. As Iris was in the bathroom, getting cleaned up, putting on her makeup, and brushing her teeth, Eddie was in the kitchen, making the two of them a quick breakfast of toast, eggs, and hash browns. Iris then sauntered in the kitchen and went over to her boyfriend, giving him a kiss on the cheek, and sitting herself down at the table where Eddie served her food before sitting down across from her.

"So what are you going to be doing in the city today?" Eddie asked her.

"Shopping." She said it so matter-of-fact that Eddie couldn't help but laugh lightly. "There are some conferences and things coming up that I need some more dresses for."

"Why don't you just wear what you already have?" He noticed the silence after his suggestion and then lifted his gaze to notice Iris's stare. "What?"

"I'm sorry, but all men should understand that you shouldn't deprive a woman of a good sale," Iris pointed out. She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. "And besides, I'm trying to be a journalist. With all of those photo ops at the conferences and meetings and when I get to be on the Central City News, I can't be wearing the same thing all the time. I have to look hot."

"You already do," Eddie pointed out. "And stunningly beautiful."

"Aww." Iris smiled and reached out, taking Eddie's hand in hers before leaning over the table and rewarding him with a kiss. She gently stroked his cheek as she pulling back. "And you'll make a great accessory on my arm." Now the two laughed.

Eddie chewed the inside of his cheek as he gazed at Iris across the table from him. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground with his potential next question, but it had to be asked. He couldn't miss all of the time that she spent talking about the Scarlett Speedster, one of the many names he had received. Especially when he had been showing his face so often as of late. He could barely go through a day of work without hearing the name of the 'superhero' that seemed to be running through Central City. He wasn't even sure how he felt about the person that was running around. He had seen some strange things since the streak had shown up, things he never thought he would ever see and if they managed to catch the Streak and ask him a few questions, maybe get him to leave the city, maybe it would all stop.

They had the well-being of the city to think about.

"Anything about the Streak?" He finally asked, studying Iris's reaction as she paused ever so slightly. "Have you had any meetings with him lately? Anything you can use for your blog?" Still, Iris didn't answer, her lower jaw dropping for a moment as she thought about it. "I mean, it's keeping you preoccupied while you try and get a career in journalism, right? More so than what you're studying in class."

Iris shifted her lower jaw to the side, recognizing the somewhat hard tone in her boyfriend's voice. She couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit guilty, just the tiniest. She was trying to have the city believe in the hero, hoping they would change their minds and start to believe everything was going to be okay the longer he was around. But still…"No," she finally lied. "I haven't really been keeping track of him lately."

"Good." Eddie nodded. "Because I was hoping you wouldn't be upset when I told you that I'm going to ask Captain Singh to push forward with the task for to find him. Things are moving kind of slow and with the things with the Mayor coming along, then we need to move fast."

Iris thought for a moment before saying. "If there are so many people that believe that he's trying to help us…why can't you?"

"Because I only believe in the things that I see with my own eyes, the things that I can touch," Eddie replied calmly. He pressed his fingertips together. "And I can't say with good conscience that this guy…whoever he is…is really helping the city. I can't say it 100%. How do we know that he isn't just casing the city before doing something bad to it?"

"Because he's not," Iris said matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know!" It came out harsher than she had intended it to but instead of apologizing as she normally would, she pushed back her chair and got to her feet. Resting her palms against the side of the table, she leaned towards her boyfriend. "I've talked to him, I've seen him! He says that he's trying to help us all."

"From what, Iris?!" Eddie practically shouted. "From people trying to rob banks? From the petty criminals that we put away every day? We can do all of that! Why do we need his help?" He pointed his finger towards her. "I know that you're just trying to protect him and I know that you're still meeting him. Everyone knows that you're still writing about him and how 'amazing' he is! You should be worried about the city! Every time he's around, one of those…crazy people are there as well. How do we know they're not working together?"

Now Iris crossed her arms over her chest. "Now you're trying to get him arrested? What the hell, Eddie? Why won't you listen to me when I tell you—"

"You keep defending him so much, it's like you're in love with him or something." He held his hands up, palms out as he rolled his eyes. "If he really exists, I mean. For all I know, you're falling in love with a ghost."

"I'm _not_ falling in love with him, Eddie!" Iris spat. "I'm in love with you!"

"Are you?"

The question stopped her cold. What was that supposed to mean? How could he even question everything they've gone through together in the past year…almost year? How could he look at her, look her right in the eye and demand to know if she had just been wasting his time, if their relationship really didn't mean anything.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

 _Wrong answer._ Eddie looked at Iris in dismay before grabbing his jacket off of the back of his chair. He made sure his tie was on correctly before staling towards the door, taking his wallet and police badge as he went. "You know what? Go have fun shopping. Don't count me in for lunch. I'll see you later."

"Fine." She barely got the broken word out of her mouth before the door slammed behind her boyfriend, causing her to jump. Her eyes welled up as silence enveloped her, taking over the sound of the happy laughter that had echoed through the apartment only a few minutes before.

She knew for sure, nothing hurt worse than fighting with her boyfriend.

Iris lowered her head before tilting it back. Her eyes traveled across Eddie's apartment to one of the photos that lined the wall; a photo of her and Eddie at the park, stretched out on a picnic blanket and smiling warmly at the camera.

It was one of the dates they had been on that had been in secret so that Joe wouldn't find out. And at the moment, she wished things were still that way, before the Flash came around, before things got so complicated.

Picking up her purse and wallet, Iris started out eth door of the apartment, being sure to lock the door behind her. Reaching up, she wiped away the tears that threatened to fall and took a deep breath as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. That accompanied with a balmy breeze, the cerulean ocean of the sky above, and the bright sun sending waves of warm comfort down onto her, her spirits lifted a little.

There was nothing like a good shopping trip to take her mind off her worries.

 _Even better than that,_ Iris thought, pulling out her phone and starting to dial a number. _There's nothing like a good girl's day._

* * *

 

Barry had gone through Central City that morning, doing his best to help make people's days better—giving an unhappy couple a bouquet of flowers, helping painters finish up the side of a building, and getting a shy looking couple to sit together—when he got the call from Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells that there was a bank robbery in progress. Turning on a dime, Barry blasted through the city and to the Central City First National Bank, coming through the doors just as there was the sound of a gunshot going off.

He blasted through the doors just in time to grab onto a display case and force it in between the man that was being fired at and the woman that shot at him. Once he was sure that the man was safe, he zipped to a top balcony and looked down at the chaos that was going on beneath him. Bank patrons were punching each other, throwing each other to the ground, attacking with anything that was within arm's reach and would give them the upper hand.

For the first time since he gained his powers, Barry watched helplessly. There were so many people to try and stop, so much so that he knew if he broke them apart and went after someone else, they would start fighting again. _Where's Cadence when you need her?_ He asked. Normally she would've been there just as quickly as Barry was called; something must be keeping her busy if she could come to witness the carnage that was going on.

But what was causing them to fight?

"I was wondering when you would be coming, Flash."

The voice to his side caught Barry's attention and he quickly whirled to the side, gaping at an older man that stood beside him. The man wasn't so remarkable that he would stand out in a crowd; thinning hair that was styled in a comb over, dark sunglasses hiding his eyes, a dark trench coat, dark pants, and boots. He was thin, a bit wiry and was plain looking, so much so he was probably overlooked a lot in his life. In fact, that was probably how he managed to get to the top balcony with the bags filled with money resting off of his sides.

"Barry, what's going in?" Caitlin's voice came through his earpiece.

"Talk to us, Bare," Cisco added. "Did the robber get away with any money?"

Barry didn't respond, still looking at the man that stood in front of him. The man smiled back, a cool, sinister smile. "It's only a matter of time until the red streak shows his face. I knew you would be coming for me." He tilted his head to the side as he turned to face Barry completely, bags swishing at his sides.

The nonchalance of the situation, the eerie calm of the man caused the speed metahuman's blood to pulse. He gritted his teeth, causing the man to smirk at his conclusive deduction, and raced towards the man. He grabbed him by the front of the shirt and raced forward, shoving him against the back wall so hard that a print of his body etched into the wall. The blow was so hard that it knocked the man's glasses off his face.

"Turn them back," Barry growled into the man's face. "They haven't done anything to you."

"No, they haven't," the man agreed. "But I need them. "I can see it in your eyes. Seeing these people turned against each other makes you…helpless, angry. Angry that someone is trying to hurt the people in your city and you can't do anything about it." The man's eyes started to glow red and Barry gasped as the edges of his vision started to turn red, creeping towards the center. "Have some real anger," The man murmured.

Barry let go of the man and backed away, bringing both of his hands to his face and rubbing them. Spots appeared in front of his eyes, but the redness remained. Suddenly, it was gone and a calm silence filled the room. Lowering his hands, Barry saw that the man was gone, long gone. How had he moved so quickly? Reaching out to the side, Barry bumped into the balcony and looked over it to see that the bank patrons had finally stopped fighting.

Biting his lower lip, Barry took a step back from the balcony, moving out of sight then zipped out of the bank. He made it back to the STAR Labs, swirling inside and changing to his street clothes, stopping for a quick 'hi' and 'bye' to Caitlin, Cisco, Felicity, and Roy, and raced back out of the laboratory once more, just as he had gotten the call from Joe that he needed to get to the bank. Waiting for a few minutes, Barry then walked as quickly as he could and started to look around the damage and destruction that had been done. He feigned looking over evidence, already knowing that someone was behind it, and then went over to Joe when he saw his foster father was finally alone.

"Joe." He grabbed the man's attention and tilted his head to the side, motioning for him to go to the side of the bank, away from the CCPD and witnesses that were milling around. "You should've seen it; these people were fighting like…like nothing I'd ever seen before. It was like everyone was trying to kill each other." He lowered his voice, licking his lips. "There was a guy here…I think he whammied them."

"Whammied?" Joe repeated with a raised eyebrow. He had been around metahumans and the like enough to know that there was still a lot of things that they did and what STAR Labs did to help get rid of them, but this was something he wouldn't expect to have come from the scientists.

Barry gave a sheepish shrug. "It's what we mean when we talk about the impossible that is more than likely possible from a metahuman."

"Got it." Joe then paused, his eyebrows lowering before gently pointing his finger at Barry. "Kind of like what happened with Mayor Chamberlain and Michael Bloom," he remarked. "You don't think it's the same person do you?"

"No." The thought had briefly crossed Barry's mind as the words came out of Joe's mouth, but he quickly waved it away. Yes, the cases were sort of similar, but there still wasn't enough evidence to link them together. "No, I don't think so. You said that Michael felt that he was being controlled, that he didn't have any control over his body. It was a man and a woman that had gotten him to do it. And then he didn't remember what he had done until later. All of the people here knew what they were doing."

"But think of it like this, the autopsy report hasn't come back with anything conclusive for the Mayor that would make us believe that he had a sudden heart attack or something," Joe reminded him. He looked Barry in the eyes. "I think those times may have been linked…I think a metahuman had gone after the Mayor. Just like a metahuman came here and used his abilities to steal half a million dollars."

Barry nodded.

It made a lot of sense.

Just because they weren't exactly the same…

"Anyway, you need to get to STAR Labs," Joe insisted, placing his hand on Barry's shoulder. He squeezed it so tightly that Barry couldn't help but let out a little sound of discomfort. Joe seemed to have noticed the pressure he was exuding and quickly dropped his hand, appearing uncomfortable. "Right now. We need to get some answers."

"Right." Barry nodded. "I'm on it."

Joe nodded and watched as Barry left the bank. Once he was out of sight, he looked around to make sure he wasn't being followed before turning on his heel and walking into the men's room. He checked the stalls to be sure he was alone before turning to the mirror and looking at himself, a smirk appearing on his face. Then, gradually, his features began to change. His skin lightened until it was olive in tone, eyes matching until they were a bright green, hair lightening to a caramel color, and his clothes changing to that of a janitor's. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone, immediately calling the number that had been programmed into it.

The person on the other end picked up almost immediately. "Yeah?"

"Stratos, I got some information from the Flash. They still don't know who about the Mayor. But I have them on the right track. They're getting really close."

"And the rest?"

"If you send in Captain Boomerang and as well as yourself, to keep an eye on things…"

"No, that's not what we're doing. Don't deviate from the plan Incognito. You're to follow your orders and it'll go without a hitch. Harley is going to be causing some mayhem today; you don't want to take that from her."

"What about Leah and Breathtaker?"

"They're in agreement."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Stratos."

"We do."

Incognito hung up the phone and slid it back into the pocket of his janitor's outfit. Lowering his head, he opened the bathroom door, nearly bumping into Joe West as he went. "Excuse me," he murmured sliding by him and walking right out of the bank.

* * *

 

"So everyone that was in the bank just started to go nuts?" Roy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Throwing things around, stabbing each other with pens?"

"Exactly," Barry agreed.

"That sounds so cool," Cisco said. He held up a hand. "Did you know that apart from it being able to save your life, there are about 100 ways you can kill someone with a ballpoint pen? Not including just shoving it straight through their veins and—"

"Cisco," Caitlin said to her friend. She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. "The next time we want to hear about a horror movie, we'll come to you." He nodded, lowering his head and Caitlin directed a smile towards him before turning back to Barry. "Do you have any ideas what it was that could've made them do it?"

"Maybe it was something they ate or drank?" Cadence suggested from where she was sitting in an office chair, next to Barry. She gently twisted back and forth, hands resting on her legs, exchanging a meaningful glance with the speedy metahuman. "Those who are able to have a bank account are usually around the same age. Maybe it was in their coffee or something."

"Impossible," Felicity denied. "Not only would that mean that _all_ of them would've had to have drank coffee that morning, but then it'd have to be something detectable when tested." She took a breath, gently shaking her head. "And from the reports we've gotten back from Detective West, which admittedly was rush ordered, there isn't anything that would indicate that."

"I have an idea," Barry said slowly. He brought up a hand, rubbing the back of his neck. "When I went to the bank this morning, I saw him there. I fought him a little." He swallowed thickly. "I don't know what happened. One minute his sunglasses fall off and the next thing I know, everything went red."

"And…you didn't feel any sense of anger or anything?" Caitlin questioned.

Barry shook his head, a bit impatiently. "No, nothing at all."

There was suddenly the sound of electronic gears turning and Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, Roy, Felicity all turned to see Harrison wheel himself into the room. His eyes darted from each person's face, resting on Caitlin's and Cadence's a bit longer than the others, before he lowered them again. "It was intense aggression," he explained. "Anger can be a powerful emotion and if that's something that a metahuman can engender that feeling into his victim then the can create a lot of damage."

Roy sighed, crossing his arms. "I hoped you wouldn't say that."

Harrison then turned his wheelchair around so that he was facing Cadence. "You say that for your powers, it relies heavily on anger?"

"Not exactly," she explained. "It's that…it _affected_ my anger. I used to have a bad temper, just as bad as anyone else's. But after this…" she held up her palm and a fire ball danced around her fingers. "It got worse. It takes a lot to keep that in control when I'm fighting." She then closed her palm and nodded over at Roy. "Abercrombie has been helping me with it."

Roy smiled.

Harrison raised an eyebrow as he cast a glance at the red archer, who cleared his throat and looked away, before turning back to the fire metahuman. "There may be something in your abilities that can give us a clue." He turned around once more. "Dr. Snow, could you please bring up Cadence's CAT scan and compare it to that of one of the victims?"

"Sure."

Caitlin leaned over her computer and did as she was told.

Felicity was the first to make of the images that were presented before them. "There's nothing different," she explained. "Nothing other than the emotion centers of the brain. It looks liked Cadence's brain only has that come up when using her abilities, and this one has been tampered with, from that metahuman. Who knows how long it'll last."

"And," Caitlin added. "The area that controls executive function. That's the part of the brain that stops people from doing potentially dangerous and impulsive things."

"Aggressive impulsion," Cisco added. He thought for a minute before grinning. "So they all go Hulk?"

"That's the way I'd put it," Cadence agreed. She turned to Barry, giving him a funny look. "So if that happened to them, and it happened to you, why aren't you bulking up and turning red?" She walked over to Barry and peered into his eyes, concern written all over her face. "Which personally, I think is a better color for you."

Barry smiled at her before repeating. "Everything went red; that was it."

Caitlin sighed, running her hands over her face. "This wouldn't have happened if you had someone there with you."

"Hey, Oliver and Diggle are out trying to get some information, remember?" Felicity said, quick to defend them. She turned at the sound of her phone buzzing and quickly picked it up to look at the text. "As a matter of fact, they just got us the name of the guy that did this. Roy G. Bivolo." With a satisfied smile, she set her phone aside.

"He's still alive, right?" Barry asked.

Harrison smiled.

"I'm sure he is." Roy nod was meant to be comforting, but it was a bit hesitant, showing off his own insecurity of his answer. "Oliver doesn't really kill anymore." He briefly closed his eyes, realizing the error of the words he had chosen.

"Wow, Little Red, you're really putting your basket in your mouth today," Cadence commented. She then addressed Caitlin with, "and I told you I couldn't make it. I had a class this morning. Unlike Speedy here,"—she gestured towards Barry—"I have a job where people are going to notice when I'm gone."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Barry asked, frowning.

"I'm just saying that it was stupid for you to do this alone," Caitlin continued, her voice growing a bit louder with worry.

"Don't blame her." Barry quickly came to Cadence's defense a sharp glance towards his trainer. "She _said_ she couldn't get there."

"You always go rushing into places alone, Barry, and you can't keep doing that anymore. Not only does it put you in danger, but it puts everyone else in the area in danger as well. You keep wanting to show off; you have to think about what's safe for everyone."

Barry sucked in a sharp breath then returned with, "Caitlin! I'm _not_ Ronnie! Stop acting like it"

A chilled silence hung in the air after his outburst. Cisco's eyes widened, Cadence's mouth dropped open, Roy and Felicity exchanged a glance, and Harrison's hands tightly gripped the sides of his wheelchair that his hands started to shake. Caitlin, on the other hand, stared at Barry, her face growing frosty, despite the expression not changing. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say despite how incredibly angry she was; so angry she couldn't think straight let alone come up with coherent words that would accurately convey her hurt. The hurt because...she knew it wasn't Barry that was saying those things to her. It had to have been the affect of the whammy, Barry could barely string two sentences together without apologizing for something, he would never come right out and say those things. She knew that.

And yet, she couldn't push the reality aside. He had said everything to her-whammy or not-that she had always been too afraid to say to herself, that she hadn't wanted to bring much attention to. But to have it thrown back at her so viciously...

"You're right," she finally replied. And that was it. All she had to say were those two words, but they held the weight of a lengthy tirade against him. She reached out and grabbed onto her coat, starting to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Cisco asked her.

"Iris called and asked if we wanted to come shopping with her," Caitlin explained, her voice softening slightly as she spoke to her pseudo-little brother. He didn't deserve her to be mad at him. He was the one that had always been there for her in every way that he could. He was the one that grieved with her the most after Ronnie's passing as he had lost his best friend as well as her fiancé. "I decided that I'd like to go."

Cisco nodded and bid her to have a good time.

Harrison as well with, "please enjoy the time for your own pleasure. I understand how…stifling being in here all the time can be."

"Are you coming?" Caitlin asked Cadence and Felicity with a little more bite than she intended.

Cadence nodded, indicating that she would like to go before tilting her head back towards Felicity. "I don't know about her, though. She might need to spend more time sitting in front of the computer."

"Actually, all of the tension in here isn't doing so well for me," Felicity said. She pushed back her chair and smoothed her hair, despite there being no strands out of place. She thought for a moment before turning to Roy and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Umm, why don't you go and see how Diggle and Oliver are doing. Just explain to them that there's been some…developments here and I needed to step out."

"Are you sure?" Roy glanced at Team Flash, who all appeared to be trying to ignore each other. "I could stay back here and see if there's anything that I can help out with. It's not like it'll take long for me to suit up if I ever need to."

"I know," Felicity agreed, giving him a small smile. "But you might be able to help him. Maybe figure out what it is that the Suicide Squad is up to. Or see if there's something about Roy Bivolo that can help us. I don't think you really want to be here if they all blow up again."

Roy nodded in agreement before giving and amused smile. "He's not going to shoot me is he?"

"I can't guarantee that," Felicity joked back. Though she was actually being quite serious.

Roy glanced around at the group once more before leaving STAR Labs.

Felicity grabbed her coat and followed Caitlin and Cadence out of the laboratory, the temperature behind dropping a few degrees, and headed towards Caitlin's car.

* * *

 

"I'm so glad that you girls could come with me today," Iris said with a bright smile as she, Felicity, Caitlin, and Cadence strolled down the streets of Central City, passing by shops on their left and right. She already held a few bags in her hands when the other girls arrived, all memories of her fight with Eddie already gone. "I really needed some retail therapy."

"Don't worry," Caitlin agreed. "You're not the only one." She tucked her hair behind her ear and crossed her arms. "Let's just say that Barry can be an idiot sometimes."

Iris gave a knowing smile. "Yeah, he can be that way sometimes. Usually finding a way to put his foot into his mouth first thing in the morning is the way he operates. By the end of the day it's happened at least one hundred times."

"Oh, I have that problem, too," Felicity agreed. "But for me it's more like, whenever I'm trying to keep from talking about a subject that's not supposed to be talked about, I can't help but have it come out. Kind of like the thing that happened with Caitlin and Ronnie." She pointed over to the brunette who sucked in a deep breath through her nose. "I mean, Barry just threw that out into her face because of how—"Cadence elbowed Felicity in the side, hard, and she quickly changed the subject, scratching her head. "Which is, what I'm doing, isn't it?"

Iris, on the other hand, looked at Caitlin in surprise. "He did that?" She demanded before placing her hands on her hips. "Don't worry; I know how to handle Barry Allen. Do you want me to deal with him?"

"Let's just forget about it," Caitlin broke in. "We're supposed to be shopping, right?" She remembered how Cadence said she was going to help her change up her wardrobe a little bit and she felt excitement zip through her body as quickly as Barry could run. There had to be something good that happened out of that day.

She deserved to be a little happy.

"Right!" Iris agreed and turned on her heel, leading the girls down the street once more.

Cadence looked up at Caitlin, who stood a good six inches taller than her, as the doctor looped her arm through the fire metahuman's. "So what was with that crack towards Felicity earlier?" She asked. Cadence feigned innocence and Caitlin continued with. "Her wanting to stay behind a computer all day?"

"Sorry, isn't her job to sit and worry about Oliver for hours on end?" Cadence shot back, her voice flat. Caitlin shot her a disapproving glance and the fire metahuman rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, but essentially being called a slut because I just so happen to know Oliver Queen doesn't really put her in my good books," Cadence remarked. "I had enough of that in high school I don't need it in my twenties either."

"Mmm, but didn't you know?" Caitlin held up a finger. "Real life is like high school. We're never going to get away from it." She then became serious once more. "But you're doing the same thing, but judging her and her relationship with Oliver without getting to know her first. Give her a chance."

"And why should I do that?"

"Because you're my friend," Caitlin reminded her. "And I'm asking you nicely."

Cadence listened to what Caitlin had to say, letting out a quiet sight. There was a twinge in her gut, knowing she had gone too far. She always went too far, always used what she had done...The fire metahuman glanced up at Caitlin and noticed the slight pout of her lips and the slant in her eyebrows. When that didn't work, Caitlin tilted her head down and rested her head against the fire metahuman's.

"Okay," Cadence finally agreed. "Only because you asked so nicely."

"Let's go in here," Iris suggested, stopping at a clothing store.

The girls went inside and immediately went to the women's section of the store and started to pick out some clothes they wanted to buy. "Oh, that's really cute, Iris," Caitlin remarked, noticing the flower print dress she picked up. "Definitely great for this weather."

"I know," Iris agreed. "And it's on sale. That way I can explain to my Dad why I end up getting two of them." She laughed, draping it over her arm. "What are you looking at Cadence?" She turned around then frowned when she didn't find the dark haired girl behind her. "Cadence?"

"Right here!" A few rows away, Cadence's hands popped up into the air, causing Caitlin, Felicity, and Iris to laugh. They knew she was short, but not that short. Seconds later, she came back over to the girls, holding up a pair of jean overalls shorts, eyes lit up.

"Look what I found!" She cried. "They're on clearance! I didn't know they sold these anymore." She hugged them to her chest, a bright smile on her face. "Now if only I could find some platform shoes that didn't threaten to break my ankles."

"You don't need them really," Felicity reminded her. "Not only are they meant to sell the idea of an attractive woman to men, but it's also meant to increase your body posture and blood circulation and shape your legs. Which you certainly don't need as you've been teaching so many dance classes."

"You should join them," Iris suggested. "They're a lot of fun."

"They can't," Cadence broke in. "They're not in Central City for long, just passing through for a few days." She moved her lower jaw to the side. "Getting some ideas for the technologies and…stuff…being made by Queen Consolidated."

"Actually, it's Palmer Technologies," Felicity corrected her.

"What happened with Queen Industries?"

"It's a long story."

" _Everything's_ a long story." The statement, followed up by Cadence's sigh of exasperation caused the girls to laugh and the tension surrounding them to ease away. They blew through the clothing stores, finding as many things as they wanted to buy, going from store to store until they finally stopped at a department store where Cadence spotted something in the window. "Hey, stop!" She called to the girls. They all turned back to her and watched as she grinned and pointed to the dress that sat in the window.

It was a gorgeous black dress; it was baby doll in style with black lace that stretched down to the elbow from the straps, the other side up towards the clavicle on the mannequin, reaching down to about the knee.

"Wow," Iris breathed as she looked at it. "That's gorgeous."

"I totally would not be able to go to work in something like that," Felicity agreed. "Not if I want a bunch of uncomfortable stares." She tilted her head to the side. "Though I think that'll be perfect payback for the Salmon Ladder…"

"You should get it Cade," Caitlin said to the fire metahuman as she came up to her side. "It would look gorgeous on you."

"Sure, if it wouldn't hang down to my ankles," Cadence joked. "No, it's too long for me." She turned and looked at Caitlin, her eyes flashing in mischief. "But it would be _perfect_ on you!" Before Caitlin could protest, Cadence grabbed onto her arm and pulled her into the store with Iris and Felicity coming straight behind her. They asked the worker to get the dress for them and then headed to the back of the store, where Cadence shoved the dress into Caitlin's arms before pushing her towards the dressing room.

Caitlin dug her heels into the carpet. The dress _was_ gorgeous. But this wasn't something she had actually thought would happen. She humored the idea of Cadence giving her a makeover, but this…this was a bit extreme. How could she go into work wearing something like that? It was like Felicity said, the stares…she couldn't bear to think of it. Her, straight-laced and studious Caitlin wearing something that resembled a cocktail dress to work.

"I don't know," she protested. "Maybe I could just try one of the other ones I bought?"

"Sure, if you want to look like my grandma," Iris broke in. She moved beside Cadence and pushed Caitlin into the dressing room. The two then quickly closed the door behind her. "This is hot, Caitlin. And if you really didn't want us to do it, you would've told us so when we asked he worker to bring it down. I wish it were my size, I'd totally love to have it."

"It'd look great on you, too," Felicity added. "On any of you." She paused before continuing. "Not that I'm saying that in sort of a homoerotic sort of way. Just as a compliment girl to girl. Unless you're into that sort of thing. I know that some women are age use these years as a time to…" she trailed off as Cadence and Iris gave her funny looks. "I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

"A little," Iris said.

Cadence leaned back on the wall behind her, crossing her arms. Her mind trailed back to Barry and his outburst towards Caitlin. Despite not knowing him for long, she didn't think he would be the kind of person that would throw something so personal into someone else's face. But she had noticed that Caitlin could be a bit overprotective of the speedster—sometimes herself included—when he was in battle. She had even noted it after one of her first trips to STAR Labs, before Brady was returned to her.

 _Still, it isn't like Barry,_ she thought. _He didn't even seem remorseful when he said those things to her._ Just by seeing how upset Caitlin had clearly been by Barry's words, she wanted nothing more than to shake some sense into him. But it wasn't her business. She hadn't indicated that she wanted to continue the conversation so out of respect to that, she opted not to slap him silly. He had been 'whammied' by Bivolo and said nothing had been wrong, that he felt fine. But now she wasn't so sure.

"How do I look?"

At the sound of Caitlin's voice, Cadence looked up and saw that she had come out of the dressing room and stood, nervously, in the dress, chewing her lower lip. Cadence beamed before reaching out and grabbing onto Caitlin's wrists. "You look perfect!" She directed her over to the mirror as Felicity and Iris made their own sounds of agreement.

"Amazing!" Iris agreed.

Caitlin looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't believe her eyes. She didn't look that different, but already she _felt_ different. More confident somehow, just by wearing a different dress. It was enough to cause a light glow to come to her cheeks, cheeks that were appled as she couldn't stop smiling. The dress _was_ perfect.

All of a sudden they heard the sound of the store's alarm going off. The girls all looked at each other before hurrying to the front of the store to see what was going on. There, they found a young girl about their age with her blonde hair pulled back into pigtails, holding onto a pink dress, looking up at the bell. As she turned back around, her eyes landed on Cadence and she smiled; a slight craze in her eyes.

Cadence frowned. _Harley._

"Hey, what's the deal?" She yelled over the sound of the bell, and then turned to the security guard that headed her way, hands out stretched. She twisted back out of the way, shielding herself. "I wasn't stealing anything."

"That's just the security alarm," the guard replied. He reached out towards Harley. "Just give me back the dress."

"It's my dress!" A light, psychotic giggle started to come from her mouth. "I paid for it fair and square." Reaching behind her, she pulled the arm off of a mannequin and held it up like a weapon.

"Geez, what's wrong with this girl?" Iris asked under her breath. "I mean, it's a nice dress, but not something to get this worked up over."

"Something tells me it's not the dress we should be worried about," Felicity murmured. She reached into the pocket of her dress and slowly pulled out her phone, typing in a text message to Oliver, Roy, Diggle, and Barry. Caitlin followed her lead, picking up her phone and quickly typing in a text.

"I know!" The Security guard continued to try and reason with Harley, but failed. "Just let me remove the damned security tab and then you can be on your way."

"It's a frame-up, a fix! You ain't taking me back to the slammer John Law!" She slowly started to shake before a maniacal grin appeared on her face. "I tried to warn you." She stood up straight and picked up the arm of the mannequin, swiftly bringing it down onto the guard's head before smashing it into the side of his face. He groaned, eyes rolling up, and slid to the floor like Gumby. "Now that he's out of the way!" She reached behind the display case and picked up a large gun. "Why don't I give the rest of you the same customer service?"

Lifting the gun, she started to spray bullets into the air.

Cadence leapt to the left, rolling behind the wall of the dressing rooms as Caitlin, Felicity, and Iris went the other way. Poking her head back around the wall she caught Caitlin's eye and waved her arm to the side, mouthing 'Get out of here, now'. Caitlin nodded back and got up, starting to move.

Clenching her hands into fists, Cadence held her hands a few inches off of the ground and started to send a haze of smoke throughout the store. She could hear the coughing and worried screams from the patrons and workers as they hurried to get out of the store, only slightly underneath Harley's loud laughter.

"Aww, don't you guys want to come play with me?" There was another moment of silence and then Harley's naught giggle came once more. "This should be a blast!" And then there was a loud explosion that caused Cadence to cover her ears. "Oh come on, that was a good one!"

Rolling out from behind the wall, thankful for the smoke cover, Cadence surveyed the damage and saw that Harley had set off some kind of explosive and was moving to do another one. Pulling her hand back, Cadence concentrated on the fire within her, feeling the heat spread from her heart up to her eyes, down her arm to her fingers and when she pushed her arm forward, a stream of fire shot out. It crashed into the explosive that was in Harley's hand, immediately setting it alight. Harley screamed and threw the bomb away, causing it to explode in the air.

Turning back towards her, Harley spotted Cadence and sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't you think it'll be more fun working on this side?" She asked.

"Clearly you don't know the meaning of fun." Cadence jumped high into the air and teleported right behind Harley. She grabbed onto the girl's shoulders, pressing her palms against the skin, feeling it starting to warm underneath her. Harley screamed as her skin started o burn and shoved Cadence away from her.

"You're going to pay for that!" Jumping behind the counter, she popped back up with a giant mallet. "How'd you like a taste of my wood?"

"Clearly you don't know that it'd be the quickest thing to burn!" As the last word came from her mouth, Cadence's hands burst into flames and started to punch towards Harley, alternately using each hand, blasts of fire heading towards the psychotic woman.

Harley knocked the fire blasts aside with each wing of her hammer. Crouching low, Cadence sprang upwards and swung her arms in a standing back-flip, her moving feet hitting Harley in the face. She then twisted to the side and placed her hands on the counter and flipped herself up, balancing herself on her hands, and spun around in a judo sweep, hitting Harley on the other side of the head. Harley stumbled away and swung her hammer at Cadence, to which the fire metahuman instinctively ducked out of the way from. However, her movement caused Harley to gain the upper hand and she received the end of a gun pointed in her face.

Holding her hands up above her shoulders, Cadence took a few steps back, giving herself some space. Harley let out that maniacal giggle once more, more haunting this time. It was childlike and air, however there was a distinct tone of malice and menace that interlocked with it. Still laughing, she took the chance of Cadence's hesitation to spring forward, much like a jester would and exhibiting the same amount of enthusiasm, and kicked the fire metahuman in the chest, knocking her back a few steps.

"Talk about a turn of events," she cried. "But I promised some entertainment didn't I?" She leveraged the gun so that it was pointing directly between Cadence's eyes. "Which his more entertaining to you? Begging for mercy or screaming in absolute pain?"

Before Cadence got a chance to answer, she felt an arm wrap around her waist and she was pulled up into the air. Looking down, she spotted a red blur strike Harley, knocking the mallet out of her hand just as an arrow appeared in her shoulder. Twisting her head around, Cadence looked into Roy's face and laughed lightly.

"That's hysterical, Little Red is doing the saving this time," She remarked playfully once they were up on the metal chute of the air conditioning unit.

"Are you calling yourself Grandma this time?" Roy replied with the same lift to his voice. He lowered his right arm, where he had been holding onto the bow that was still connected to the retractable arrow planted in the ceiling. "Thought you might need some help."

"I didn't actually."

With a raised eyebrow, Roy reached inside his suit and handed Cadence hers and her goggles. The fire metahuman twisted her mouth to the side before quickly teleporting to the bathroom, putting the suit on, and teleporting back towards Roy's side, all before the smoke could even start to dissipate.

"But thanks for the suit." She smiled at him.

"You're welcome." He smiled back.

Roy and Cadence crouched low and watched as Harley pulled the arrow out of her shoulder and turned towards Oliver and Barry as they approached her. Looking back and forth between the two, Harley squealed a little. "Wow, now I've got two men chasing after me! My puddin's sure not going to like this!" She then lifted her fingers. "But hey, I think you'll enjoy this present!" She snapped her fingers and a boomerang came flying out of the smoke and struck Barry on the arm.

He cried out and Cadence quickly lifted the smoke to find a man slowly walking up to the backs of Barry and Oliver. Oliver slowly turned around and pointed an arrow at the man. "Digger Harkness," he growled voice deeper with the voice filter that had been attached to his suit. "Why have you come to Central City?"

Roy grabbed Cadence around the waist once more and lowered himself and Cadence to the floor. He then pulled an arrow out of his quiver and, standing with Oliver, pointed it towards Digger. Cadence stood by Barry as the two faced off against Harley.

"I'm sure you'd love to know that, mate," Digger replied. He slowly started to walk towards them, his pace increasing with each step. "But I think that'd be too complicated for you to understand." He threw a boomerang just as Harley swung her mallet once more.

The fight was on.

Oliver and Roy double-teamed Digger, using their bows and hidden flanchettes to try and take him down. However his boomerangs were more difficult to deal with than originally thought. Especially as Digger was able to keep the two of them at bay, despite how hard the two fought on either side of him. The Green Arrow gritted his teeth in frustration as Digger threw another boomerang at him. Lifting his bow, he knocked the boomerang away and fired four arrows into Digger in rapid succession, causing him to shift back. This gave Roy the opportunity to use his free running skills to run forward, bounce off the wall beside him, and use it as a spring board to land a hard kick at Digger, turning his attention to him. Which started the fight all over again with Roy sent arrows at Digger's exposed skin and Oliver using hand-to-hand combat on the other side.

All of a sudden there was a whistling sound and Oliver, whose arm was out, was cut across the forearm by the harsh metals of the boomerang. He groaned in pain, blood immediately starting to drip out of his arm and pool on the ground.

Doing a wall-flip, Cadence moved out of the way as Harley chased after her, and the evil woman crashed into the wall, backing up a few steps as she held onto her nose. Cadence then grabbed reached out and grabbed onto Harley's neck, tightening her grip around it as the seconds passed, and holding a fireball close to her face.

"Get out," she hissed.

Before Cadence could let go of Harley, allowing her a chance to escape, Barry crashed into her, knocking the fire metahuman onto the ground and facing Harley himself. Moving her hair out of the way of her goggles, Cadence watched with an intense frown as Barry, with his enhanced speed, he raced over to Harley and sent a barrage of punches and kicks her way, forcing her to her knees and continuing to fight her even as she fell to the ground. Each hit continued to increase in viciousness, despite the cries that came from the woman.

The sound of sirens and screeching tires filled the air as CCPD arrived on the scene. The sounds of the sirens, instantly catching Arsenal's, Green Arrow's, The Flash's, and Cadence's attention gave enough time for Digger and Harley to get away. Oliver and Roy exchanged a glance before picking up their bows and arrows and shooting them towards the ceiling, using the retractable arrows to lift themselves up into the air and they made their way to the hole they had created in the roof to get inside.

Barry continued to move in the direction Harley had gone, but Cadence quickly ran up behind him and grabbed onto his hands, holding them tightly in hers.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"Trust me," Cadence replied before teleporting the two of them away in a puff of smoke.

The smoke settled and disappeared as CCPD hurried inside, guns drawn.

But all was quiet.


	23. Thinly Veiled Threats

**.:23:.**

_Thinly Veiled Threats_

* * *

 

"Are you sure this is the direction they went in?"

Oliver let out a low rumble as he looked over the docks of the harbor district of Central City. Dilapidated warehouses loomed in the distance and as Oliver crouched atop one; his eyes scanned the docks for any sign of life. Anything that would prove he was in the right spot. The right area to figure out what it was that the Suicide Squad was doing.

"Yes, Dig," Oliver replied into the microphone that was sewn into his hood. "I'm sure. I waited around that store until after the cops left, knowing that Digger and Harley were still inside. I followed them out here. I know they're around here somewhere and I'm going to find him. We _are_ going to figure out what it is that the Suicide Squad wants with Central City."

Diggle, situated in a van that was far enough away for their communications could continue to work, made a light humming sound. "So why haven't you asked Barry to come help you?"

"If Barry is anything like me, he's stubborn. And that means that our differing ideas of how to handle these things may cause more problems than I'll allow to have happen," Oliver explained. He cleared his throat. "Not only that, but there's still a lot for him to learn. If I brought him out here, I can't guarantee that he'd make it out of here alive. Not if the Suicide Squad has anything to say about it."

"I think you're afraid."

Now Oliver let out a low snort, acting more like himself—Oliver Queen—rather than the vigilante, the Arrow. "Afraid of what?"

"The same thing you're always afraid of," Diggle continued. "Bringing in people who are close to you. You don't want to see them hurt. That's why you constantly avoided me at the beginning of this whole thing, that's why you kept everything such a secret from everyone around you, that's why Thea is continuously left in the dark, it's why your mother risked her life for you…the last thing you want is to be responsible for someone's death. Especially for someone as young and impressionable as Barry, someone who could make a difference to this city."

"He'll make a difference to the city; bring inspiration to everyone, as soon as he realizes it himself." Oliver's eyes were then drawn to a shadow moving across a faraway warehouse. He stood up straight and lifted his bow, shooting an arrow into the side of a tall, smokestack, and swung down towards the ground. Landing lightly on his feet, he trotted forward, watching as the figure went inside the warehouse. He pressed his body against the underside of a broken window and listened quietly.

"With this Bivolo guy running around, this should be easy!" A gruff voice, which Oliver recognized as Deadshot, snapped. "Why are we still waiting?"

"Because we're stuck under Amanda's ruling, remember? She's the one that has us working with Breathtaker," Bronze Tiger commented with a sneer. "He and the rest of the Assassination Bureau are the ones in charge. Don't look at me like that, Shrapnel, you know it's true. If we hadn't aligned with these guys, we'd already have the city under our control."

"You act like Amanda doesn't know what she's doing," Harley murmured, her voice coming from closest to the wall. Her upbeat personality had been subdued, the light giddy giggle not evident in her voice. Instead, it was filled with intense coldness that even chilled Oliver's blood. "Once we get a handle of this guy…of this Flash, then we'll follow the rest of the plan. While the Assassination Bureau will finish their bounty."

"If Brigade does what she's supposed to do," Bronze Tiger added. There was a sharp swiping sound and Oliver had the image in his head of Bronze Tiger swiping his fists through the air, shadowboxing, and the long, metallic fingers that resembled claws that hung off his hands swooshing through the air. Whistling loudly. "She's supposed to be following the orders given; going straight after him…it doesn't look like Mindboggler's charm is working."

"Mindboggler?" Harley snorted. "She should be called Vampire. She can compel people, but can't at least suck blood. That'd be hot!" Now the creepy warmth came back to her voice. She obviously knew how to use her appearance and charm to appear innocent to everyone around her when he was nothing but pure evil. "And I was telling Brigade that she should be on our side but…"

There was a low murmuring sound and Oliver pressed himself against the wall even harder, hoping to hear more of what was being said. So the Suicide Squad was still being controlled by Amanda Waller. But what would she need with Central City? What was it that she was doing that needed the Suicide Squad to help? More importantly, who were the Assassination Bureau and what were they getting out of working alongside the Suicide Squad? So Harkness was helping them out, he knew that for sure, especially if Harley had managed to come back.

Was there something he was missing from that fight?

Oliver closed his eyes as part of his brain worked on what to do with the information he had just received and the other part worked through the fight that he, Roy, Barry, and Cadence had fought against Harley and Harkness. The two foes had proved to be formidable, no matter how many hits they took, they always managed to bounce back and keep fighting. It wasn't until the police came, distracting the heroes, that they had managed to escape with little effort. But no, Oliver didn't have his enemies escape. He didn't let them get away with anything, he had to hunt them down, figure them out, and instill his message that he wasn't going to allow anyone to mess with him, his reputation, or his city.

"Just as long as this Bivolo guy's work continues to fall so that Mindboggler can continue to use hers, we won't have to worry. Incognito has already thrown a wrench into the plan having run into Detective West, but we can use that to our advantage. Stratos is watching Brigade, shadowing her to be sure she's doing what she's supposed to, Mindboggler has done her part, and Breathtaker is the lead of all of that," Shrapnel said. "We just have to wait for our next part. Remember, we're the ones who are, ultimately, in control."

"What about that ginger?" Harley asked, her voice becoming high-pitched and whiny. It was as if she was sneering. Oliver couldn't be sure; the girl wasn't like any he had met. Having arrived on the scene while Cadence had been fighting her, she appeared to be a little girl playing pretend. However the guns and large mallet were anything but pretend.

Oliver had heard enough. He started to rise up, able to shoot arrows into the window of the warehouse, but stopped when he suddenly sensed something, or someone, coming up on his left side. Turning, Oliver immediately let go of the arrow and it shot towards Harkness, who lifted a boomerang and deflected the arrow to the side.

"Well, well," Harkness greeted Oliver with a half smile. "Look who we have here." Undaunted, Oliver lifted his bow and aimed another shot towards Harkness. "For someone who prides themselves on the stealth they exude everywhere they go, you're not very stealthy this time around."

"Digger Harkness—"

"—could we please skip the pleasantries and just get to the point, _Arrow_?" Harkness asked with a smirk.

Oliver's eyes narrowed as he continued to hold Harkness in his gaze. "What does Amanda Waller want with Central City? There isn't anything here that would be of use to her."

"Isn't there? You don't think that the city that has had some sudden…changes over the past year, isn't something that would be of use to Mockingbird?" Harkness let out a low, cruel laugh. "You're clearly not as smart as you project yourself to be."

"Oliver!" Diggle's voice came through Oliver's earpiece. "What's going on? Felicity says that you've become stationary. What have you found out?"

Oliver started at the mention of Felicity's name. Maybe Diggle was a little bit right. His initial sense of justice had commenced once he found out that Bivolo was the one behind the bank robbery. But when he had gotten the text from Felicity that said she was in a department store that had suddenly come under attack by a crazy, mallet wielding girl—which he would've laughed at if he hadn't taken the news that Felicity was there so seriously—he immediately sprang into action with Roy by his side. While the girls had managed to get out of the store safely, via a back exit, he couldn't be sure everything was okay until Harley and Harkness was gone. Even then, he was still angry he let them get away and was greatly reminded of why in that exact moment.

"C'mon vigilante, let's see what it is that you can do."

He pulled boomerangs out from the crisscross holsters on his back and threw them towards Oliver, who started to run towards him. Oliver ducked out of the way and shot an arrow behind Harkness, which embedded into the side of a metal crate behind Harkness. It immediately erupted into sparks, sending Harkness forward by the outward wave of energy. This gave Oliver the face to send a barrage of punches and kicks his way, which Harkness skillfully ducked out of the way of, reminding the Green Arrow that he was, indeed, skilled in martial arts as well. Hearing a whistling sound, Oliver ducked as the boomerangs shot back towards Harkness. As he had his arm up, to fend off a hit that moved towards his face, Oliver got caught in the arm by the boomerang, slicing his skin open.

He let out a growl of pain then grunted as Harkness kicked him in the chest, sending him skidding backwards along the ground. Oliver's arrows scattered in all directions as the holster for them scratched along the ground. He turned and held out a hand, shooting a hidden arrow out from underneath the spring-loaded arsenal hidden within his sleeve. He pulled back the arrow and shot it forward, striking Harkness straight in the chest. An electrical current shot out and jolted the man, causing him to fall prone to the ground. Turning on his heel, Oliver shot a retractable arrow up into a smoke stack and allowed it to pull himself up into the air, where he swung until he reached the van that Diggle had waiting for him.

Opening the back doors, Oliver barreled inside and pulled the doors shut behind him as Diggle started up the van and hurried out of the harbor area. He drove until they reached the warehouse he, Barry, Roy, and Cadence had trained at and stopped. Then he turned in the driver's seat and looked over at Oliver, who had finally caught his breath and had then settled an intense gaze on the back of the van. "What happened out there, man?" He asked. "Felicity—"

"Felicity shouldn't even be at STAR Labs or working with this," Oliver interrupted gruffly. "She should be back in the hotel room, resting. I don't need her to push herself to work after what happened at the department store."

The knowing look that flashed over Diggle's face irritated Oliver, but he merely looked away, avoiding the subject the dark-skinned man was obviously alluding to. "You know Felicity; she can't function if she has nothing to do. It's either have me telling her everything that's going on so she's still in the know or have her hack through the government's satellite just to prove she can in her down time." His smile faded and he regarded Oliver with an intense stare. "Did you figure anything out? What's going on, man?"

Oliver took a deep breath, trying to wrap his head around the information he had just received. After thinking about it for a minute, he explained everything to Diggle. He explained the members of the Suicide Squad that were working together, the other names that had been attributed to the Assassination Bureau, the addition of Amanda Waller, the fight between him and Harkness; and what Harkness had to say. "Harkness is in with them," he said. "He's helping the Suicide Squad. I don't…I'm not sure, exactly, what they're all up to, but they're working with a group called the Assassination Bureau. Amanda Waller wants something from Central City." He gently shook his head. "There was some mention about a bounty…I don't know who for or what how much, but someone else is going to die."

"Barry?"

"No, I don't think its Barry. I think it might be something else." He brought his hands up and rubbed them over his face. And as he lowered his hands again, he looked over towards Diggle, who appeared to have the same sort of expression of revelation on his face.

"Do you think they were the ones that were behind the Mayor's death?" Diggle asked. "That can't be a coincidence."

"The Suicide Squad, maybe not. But I'm sure about the Assassination Bureau," Oliver agreed. "If that's the case, then this Mindboggler person is someone who we should be looking at." He paused, licking his lips. "There has to be something going wrong with their plan…if Harkness told me everything...they didn't come out of their hideout..."

"Not unless," Diggle pointed out. "They _wanted_ you to hear it."

* * *

 

Harrison looked up as he heard the sound of heels rapidly walking in his direction and looked over his shoulder to see Caitlin walk over to her computer-desk on the main floor, practically lowering the temperature of the room herself. He turned his wheelchair towards her as she leaned forward, resting her face in her hands.

"I believe I'm correct in assuming that Mr. Allen's words to you are still resting on your mind," Harrison remarked with a light lift to his voice.

Caitlin bit her lower lip for a moment before turning to face him herself. She rested her forehead on the fingertips of her upraised hand. "I know it shouldn't bother me," she admitted. "I _know_ this isn't Barry. Clearly Bivolo's work has affected him more than we originally thought, but the things he said to me…how do I _know_ it wasn't him?"

Harrison thought for a moment. It was an interesting concept. From what they had been told from those that had been there at the time of the bank robbery, Bivolo's victims had all started to enact their aggression towards each other. But what if that hadn't been the point of the anger Bivolo managed to get out of them. What if it stripped away their inhibitions and made them act out impulsions. The Barry Allen they knew would never have said what he did to Caitlin, even if he had been thinking it at some point. No, instead he would have either never brought it up or he would have done it in a way that was so classy and aware of Caitlin's emotions that he would've found a way to make it endearing. But his words had not been endearing, they had been frustrated and so filled with hate that it appeared that the quick-footed metahuman had put on a mask.

Rather, had his mask stripped away.

"I know you're upset, Caitlin, but I don't even think that someone like Barry Allen would show his aggression towards anyone in that way," Harrison said. "Remember Mr. Woodward? Barry's aggression comes out in his fists, now that he knows how to fight. They don't come out with words. I don't think he has a bone in his body that would allow him to do that. Which does prove that Bivolo's work is even more engrained in him. That is not our Barry Allen"

"But why would it take this long for him to have the affects from it?" Caitlin paused at Harrison's knowing glance and she then answered the question for herself. "Because of his fast-moving…everything. It took longer for it to react with his body because his neurons and his brain and everything moves a lot faster than a normal human's." She motioned between herself and Harrison. "So if we were whammied by Bivolo then we would act out our aggression or what we keep inhibited."

Harrison's eyebrows rose as he leaned back in his wheelchair. A smirk curled at his lips. "Are you saying there are some things that you would like to do that you're keeping back?" His implication wasn't lost on the bioengineer, who blushed and turned away. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about Caitlin. Everyone has something that they would like to do but there are certain…implications and societal norms that may get in the way." He shrugged.

"Funny, that never seemed to stop you when you were in college." Caitlin's eyes flashed playfully, causing Harrison to smile at the unmentioned tension brewing between them.

"Everyone has some sort of story of the things we've done back in our school days. It's just a matter of if you choose to continue to live that sort of life or focus on things that are more important." He looked up at the sound of advancing footsteps and spotted Oliver and Diggle entering the main floor of the labs. Harrison turned his wheelchair around to face the pair. "Mr. Queen, to what do I owe this pleasure of your willingness to be here in STAR Labs." He crossed his arms. "If I'm not mistaken, you like to work through things on your own."

Oliver let out a low sigh as he licked his lips. He then turned his gaze to Diggle, appearing to blame his best friend for the situation he was put in, and then turned back to Harrison. Steeling himself, he took in a deep breath, chest puffing out, before stating, "There are some things I think you should know."

And that was it.

There was no malice of frustration evident in his tone, but something about the way he said it caused Harrison's eyes to narrow as he regarded the green arrow. Pursing his lips, Harrison replied with, "I find myself at a conundrum," he said quietly. "How am I to trust you when you clearly don't want to help us? Or, at least, showed a lot of hesitation when working with Barry." His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "What are you to prove that what you have to say is of any use to us?"

Oliver crossed his arms and stared hard at Harrison, matching his tense gaze. Diggle, on the other hand, spoke up. "Sir, we would be very thankful if you would take the time to talk to us." He paused. "Alone."

Harrison continued to hold Oliver's gaze, that peculiar smile pulling at his pale pink lips that proved no one knew him as well as he would allow them inside. The only person that had truly gotten close enough to know him inside and out had been Tess and even then there were a few things he had kept from her. He wasn't sure if he would allow someone to get that close again, no matter how his feelings had…changed over the past year. Things didn't always go the way he had planned and so far, the majority of his plans had gone by the wayside. He always had a way of bouncing back and this time around it was something he wasn't sure he needed.

"Dr. Snow," he called over to Caitlin. Meeting her eyes, he was sure she understood his use of the formality, and continued with. "Could you please give us a few moments? If there is anything that I need, I'll go to your office."

"Yes, Dr. Wells." Caitlin picked up her coat, flung it over her arm, and walked out of the room.

Once it was the three men that were left, Harrison turned back to Oliver and made sure he was the first one to speak. "I suppose this may have something to do with your acquaintanceship to Cadence?" He remarked. "That there may be some things that are needed to be brought up to my attention." He pretended to think, pressing his fingers together. "Such as you having Felicity running a background check on her to the point that you found out about her role in that crop fire that Smallville had several years ago."

If Diggle or Oliver were surprised about Harrison being aware of their work after having arrived at STAR Labs, they didn't show it. In fact, Harrison wanted them to be unsurprised. If there was anything he was good at, it was letting other people feel what he wanted them to feel and know what he wanted them to know.

"I make it my point to know everything that concerns her as she is my daughter," Harrison said flippantly. Oliver stared at him for a moment and when he opened his mouth, Harrison continued with, "And I am also aware of the fact that Brady is my grandson. Yes, she can keep a secret, and is a good liar, but even genetics have a tendency to give themselves away." He tilted his head to the side. "I'm sure you're wondering why it is that I have decided to share that tidbit of information with you so candidly."

"I would," Oliver agreed.

"Because, Mr. Queen, I know that you already know I'm her father," Harrison stated. "I know that you've known for a long time as it is common for people who are of certain power, to gossip about others as well as to have a hand in knowing each other's business." He raised a hand and lowered it against the arm rest once more. "Just as I'm sure that through mutual friends and connections that there are some things about my life and my past that you are aware of and I am to you. However, I must ask that you keep that tidbit of information from Cadence as I don't feel it is appropriate for her to know until it is the right time." He sat up in his seat, taking off his glasses and continuing to look directly at Oliver. "You see, I like to know what everyone in my city is doing, especially those that seem to come in at one of the most inopportune times."

Chewing his lower lip, Oliver regarded Harrison with a long, even look. It was strange to know how similar the two were. Oliver, in a portion of the same way, did make it his business to know who was in his city, but in the means that he needed to know who the biggest threat was. Harrison, however, seemed to only want to know who was in the city and what sort of things they wanted with the people the closest to those at STAR Labs.

"So, Oliver, what is it that you have to tell me?"

That was all he needed to say. A little bit of admission on his part, a tiny veiled threat to show that he meant business and he was to protect his own, and he had Oliver in the palm of his hand. And now, as he watched Oliver clasp his hands together behind him, in a comfortable stance, he knew he had him, although Mr. Queen, if he was anything like Harrison, would never completely allow himself to work one hundred percent with STAR Labs if Harrison was around.

"There is a faction in Central City that has joined a group from Starling City that is something you should be aware of," Oliver explained. "The Suicide Squad is a group that's head by Amanda Waller of ARGUS that have come here. They're after some sort of power that is here in Central City and the group, the Assassination Bureau, is helping them to achieve that goal."

"Interesting."

"And from what we've heard from them, the Assassination Bureau are, bounty hunters in a way," Diggle explained. "Mercenaries. They're assigned to take someone out for money and there are no questions asked. We believe that the Suicide Squad, before coming over to Central City, has hired the Assassination Bureau to do some work before they arrived."

"And you believe it was the mayor that they went after?" Harrison guessed, to which Oliver and Diggle nodded. "What reason would they want to do that?"

"To throw followers off the trail," Oliver remarked. "Or for their own personal gain if they worked by themselves before obtaining the partnership with the Suicide Squad." He gave a wry smile. "As I'm sure you also know there are people that don't particularly like what others in power have to do or say and would like to get rid of them for whatever personal gain they have." Harrison nodded and replaced his glasses with a quick flick of his wrist. "It sounds like they're trying to get close to someone, with or by using Barry—the Flash—as leverage. There is someone specific they're after, but we can't be sure of who it is."

"Can't you?"

The silence hung through the air between the three of them.

The harsh tension that shifted between them palpable to the point that Oliver and Diggle both stiffened, ready for anything that was about to come their way. Nevertheless, Harrison sat calmly back in his seat, not putting out any sort of vibe that he was threat.

"No, we're not sure," Oliver finally replied. "But there is someone else to keep an eye out. Someone that goes by the name Brigade."

Harrison nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind; make sure the others keep an eye out." He held out a hand towards Oliver and Diggle. "Thanks for your time." The two men shook Harrison's hand and he backed away before rolling around the men and leaving the room.

A smirk slid onto his face as he heard Oliver say to Diggle, "There's something up with that guy."

 _You have no idea._ Harrison thought.

He continued wheeling until he reached a level of STAR Labs that he knew no one else ventured out to. It was the area that he knew he wouldn't be disturbed or walked-in on. Pressing a hand against a panel on the wall, it slid open and Harrison wheeled inside. As the seconds passed, lights flicked on down the hallway, revealing his secret room. Stretching his arms over his head, Harrison stood up and climbed out of the chair. He stretched his legs in a few different positions before moving to a spot on the wall and placing his hand against that. Instead of the panel sliding back and revealing a large room that housed his AI Gideon and his personal journal, a display case slid out.

As he watched, the display case uncovered the yellow and red suit that sat inside. He reached out a hand and lightly ran his fingers across the glass, following the flow of the yellow suit and let out a sigh that fogged the glass for a moment. Swiping his hand away he regarded the suit with an uncharacteristically worried frown.

With the latest news, he may have to reveal himself sooner than he anticipated. "Everything has to work out."

* * *

 

"Momma?" Brady picked up his fork and started to twist it back and forth in his hand. He looked up at his mother who pulled her hair back from her face. She cast a glance at him as she brought a glass of orange juice to her mouth and took a sip.

She looked around Jitters, noticing how little people there were that early in the morning. She could see the normal barista's behind the counter and one that she didn't recognize, wearing glasses listening as she was told how to work a cappuccino machine. Iris, she knew, wasn't going to be in for a while as she needed to get showered and dressed after the Zumba class that morning. She had hoped to catch Barry after the class but he had immediately gathered his things and left. It looked like he needed another day to relax but seeing how he had basically steamrolled everyone out of his way, seconds away from using his super speed, she knew not to stop him.

Brady, who had jumped at the chance to hang out with Barry a little, had fun talking with him before the class and during their breaks, but still appeared to be disappointed.

"What is it bud?" She asked him.

Brady pursed his lips as he inspected the boiled egg that was sitting on his plate. His nose wrinkled and he stuck out his tongue as he pushed it to one side of the plate, causing the fire metahuman to smile. "Why isn't Barry eating breakfast with us?"

Cadence's eyebrows rose for a minute before she said, "I guess he had some things to do. He was in kind of a hurry after my class, so it must be important."

Brady frowned as he started to poke through the fruits that sat on his plate. At least, Cadence noted, he was more willing to eat those than eggs. She smiled as he turned his plate around, made sure the fruit wasn't touching the eggs, and started to eat those. "I wanted to ask if he wanted to come to my birthday party."

"Your birthday is still two months away, Brade," Cadence pointed out. "As a matter of fact, it's after mine."

"Yeah, but no one cares about yours," Brady said cheekily. "You're old."

Affronted, Cadence tossed a balled up napkin at him. "I'm not old. I'm twenty-four."

"Twenty-four is old."

"Then Wells must be a grandpa because he's in his forties."

"He's old, too. And so are MaMaw and PaPa." Brady smiled and continued eating his breakfast. Once finished with his fruit he started on his toast. After crunching for a few moments, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Momma?" Brady asked after a moment.

"What?"

"You said that Roy Bivolo has made it so that the people in the bank got 'whammied' and became mad right?"

Of course she had mentioned to him what was going on. Not only was it bound to be gossip among the students in his school as they still talked about their police visit and the questions about the 'scary hermit man', but because Brady really had started to see Barry as a sort of big brother to him. He was disappointed when he found out that his mother had been able to hang out with him when he wasn't and always asked his mother whenever they would be able to hang out again, like they had when Barry offered to look after him when Brady had been suspended from school.

But it also gave her peace of mind for Brady to know that there may be something wrong with Barry if he was ever mean to him. She didn't believe that Barry would ever be intentionally mean to Brady, as she was very careful over whoever she allowed into her son's life. But still, if things were going as she had thought, maybe it wasn't a good idea…Seconds passed and after finally breaking herself out of her thoughts, Cadence nodded and Brady tilted his head to the side.

"If he can do that…does that mean that he's making Barry see his mother too?"

The question caught Cadence off guard. She hadn't thought she mentioned that to Brady, but being an only child she knew he had many ways of entertaining himself and one of them was by eavesdropping. There was a good chance she never had to say it directly to him.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean, Bivolo made it so that Barry gets mad, and all of those people in the bank got mad. If he's a metahuman and can do that, can he make them see other things too? Maybe he has Barry see his mom."

Cadence thought for a moment. "If that were the case, and it _is_ run on emotions, why is Barry seeing his Mom?"

"Maybe because he's sad," Brady piped up. "Maybe that man is making him see sad things."

That wasn't a bad idea, admittedly. However, while there was no reason to think it wasn't possible, there also wasn't a reason to think it was. Nevertheless, the fire metahuman was impressed he came up with it and said as much, causing him to respond with, "I don't know why you're surprised, I'm smarter than you."

"First you call me old and then you call me dumb."

Brady suddenly looked stricken, his eyes widening. "I didn't make you sad, did I?"

Cadence gave a half smile. "The only thing that's making me sad is that you're not eating your eggs."

His nose wrinkled once more as he kicked his legs back and forth. "I don't like eggs."

"Which is strange, 'cause I love eggs."

"I bet I got it from my Dad." Brady looked up at her with a meaningful look and Cadence tilted her head to the side, which he mimicked. She then tilted her head the other way and he did the same and then giggled to himself. "What else did I get from Dad?"

"Your sense of humor," Cadence said dryly. "He used to irritate me my mimicking me all the time. I used to think it was funny. Are you finished?" Brady nodded and pushed his plate away. Cadence reached out her fork and stuck his egg, putting it into her mouth. She gave him an amused smile as he stuck out his tongue and made a retching sound, and dropped a couple bills on the table to pay for their breakfast before the left Jitters.

Brady hummed to himself as he balanced along the edge of the curb, placing one foot in front of the other as if he was balancing on a tight-rope, arms out stretched. Cadence strolled along beside him, pulling her phone from her pocket as she got a text.

 **Cait:** I don't know what's going on, but Oliver and Diggle just came by to talk to Wells.

 **Cade:** Do you know what about?

 **Cait:** No idea. Dr. Wells basically banished me from the room. And if you know Wells you know that he is private and if there's a conversation he doesn't think you should hear, then you're not going to be around o hear it.

 **Cade:** Do you think it has to do with Bivolo?

 **Cait:** I don't think so. Wells and I started to talk about Barry, how weird things are with him. I don't know what to do. He's been whammied but it's not like we can force him to sit still long enough to make sure everything is okay.

 **Cade:** We'll think of something, Caitlin. Don't worry. Aren't he and Cisco supposed to be hanging out today?

 **Cait:** They are. I haven't heard anything back from Cisco. So maybe it was just a one-time thing. I'll keep you posted in case something else comes along or we need your help.

 **Cade:** Like you did at that department store, ;)

 **Cait:** *rolls eyes*Even Barry doesn't have an ego like this after he saves people.

 **Cade:** Barry's just a show-off by nature. Haha. But I was talking about that dress.

 **Cait:** You're not going to let me forget that are you?

 **Cade:** Never. I own you now. *sticks out tongue*

 **Cait:** *smiles* Haha. See you later, Cade.

 **Cade:** See you.

Once they arrived back at their apartment, Brady raced for the ringing phone as Cadence closed the door behind them. _I should've put him in the dance class, have him burn off that excess energy,_ she thought before going into the living room and picking up the newspaper that was filled with scribbles. At least narrowing down on a new apartment would be enough to take her mind off things.

"Momma?" Brady hung up the phone and hurried into the living room, causing Cadence to lower the newspaper with a light sigh.

"Boy you're filled with a lot of questions today, aren't you?" She remarked. "What is it? Who was on the phone?"

"Josh," Brady replied. "He was asking if I can go over to his house to play with him today."

"Who's Josh?"

"A friend from class."

"I know that. I meant, do I know this Josh and do I know his parents?" Brady's face screwed up as he thought about it for a moment. Cadence let out a patient sigh, regarding her son with a raised eyebrow. "If I don't know them—"

"You know them," Brady insisted. "He's the one who had the birthday party last week. He doesn't live that far away. Can I go please?" Before she got a chance to respond one way or another he continued with. "You don't let me do anything! I'm always being left out! I don't get to do anything fun. Just because of a mistake _you_ made." He pouted, stomping his foot. "If Dad were here he'd let me do fun stuff." He brought an arm up and started to wipe at his eyes as he sniffed, face turning blotchy. "He wouldn't treat me like a baby!"

"I don't treat you like a baby."

"Yes, you do!"

Cadence's eyes narrowed into what was short of a glare, intense hurt flooding her body. Reaching out, she grabbed onto Brady's wrist as he continued to cry. "I have told you time and time again that the decisions I make are to make sure you're safe, not to treat you like a baby. I am your mother! And I've explained time and time again your father isn't here. That was his choice. It's not fair that you keep using our circumstance against me when I don't do that to you. I don't treat you that way so you shouldn't treat me that way. Your father isn't here, I am, and I'm doing my best to raise you despite the fact sometimes you can act like a brat!" She turned him around. "Now go to your room! And don't come out until I say!"

"Fine!" Bursting out into loud tears, Brady turned on his heel and ran into their bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Cadence flopped back against the couch, bringing her hands up over her face, trying to calm herself down. She had been seconds away from losing self-control and yelling at him, she could tell. Her entire body turned hot and she was sure her ears were turning red, a sure sign that she was upset. It hurt nothing short of her heart to hear everything that Brady had said before she knew it was what he had been feeling for a long time. Growing up without a father was bound to catch up to them at some point and as he continued to grow older the questions about him continued to increase. But he had never said anything like that before.

If Bivolo really could use people's emotions against them, was using sadness to get Barry to see his mother, she knew exactly what it was that she would be seeing.

It had been a normal day for Cadence. She had turned seventeen a few weeks prior and was getting ready for Brady's first birthday when the news had been dropped on her. She walked through the front door of the house, placing her backpack on the hook next to the door and into the living room. Carefully stepping over the brightly colored plastic toys that were strewn over the floor, she went over to Brady, who was in a baby bouncer, playing with a ball in his hands. When he spotted her, he smiled brightly and started to rapidly bounce up and down, letting out a light giggle. Dropping the ball, he reached his hands out towards her, cooing.

"Ma ma ma ma ma ma," he said, continuing to bounce.

"Hey Brady." Cadence reached down and placed her hands under his armpits and lifted him out of the carrier. Brady immediately snuggled up to her shoulder and Cadence smiled, giving him a kiss on the head. "Hey. Did you have a fun day with MaMaw and Papa?"

"Cadence." Hearing her mother's voice behind her, Cadence turned and saw that her mother and father had come out from the basement, and were both standing in the doorway, watching their daughter. "May we have a word with you, please?"

"Yeah, no problem." Cadence placed Brady into his walker and followed her parents to the dining room. She chuckled when she heard the sound of wheels rolling behind them and watched as Brady slowly walked after them with the use of the walker. The three sat down in the living room and made themselves comfortable in the high quality wood chairs. "What's up?"

"Honey, this isn't easy for us to say," Mr. Nash had started, reaching out and grabbing onto Cadence's hand. "But we think it's for the best and we're hope you're not too upset."

"Upset about what?" Cadence's eyes then narrowed. "You didn't give Brady any cake did you? You know that I didn't to—"

"No, this isn't about any cake, dear," Mrs. Nash said calmly. "This…is a bit more serious. It's about Brady, but it's more serious than that." The three then looked over at Brady, who was backing himself into and out of the dining room wall, giggling at the low sound his carrier made each time he did so. "I'm afraid…that we don't feel its right for you to live here anymore."

Cadence's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?"

"Honey, we told you that we weren't going to help you after you decided to keep him," Mrs. Nash continued.

"And you haven't! I've been taking great care of him."

"Yes, but we don't believe that it's right for…our current circumstance that it's right for our environment," Mr. Nash said. Cadence's eyebrows furrowed together and he let out a low sigh. "We can take care of Brady—"

"Whoa! Whoa, whoa." Cadence held up her hands as she looked at her parents with utter disgust and hurt. "Our current circumstances?" She repeated. "What 'current circumstances'? The only thing that's going on is Daddy's promotional work with…" she immediately cut herself off. "You're embarrassed," she realized.

"No, honey, that's not it," Mrs. Nash soothed.

"Yes, it is, Mom! You're worried about your reputation because of Dad's big client. You can't handle that I'm already the hot topic of anyone's gossip but now that I'm taking care of him _without_ the father, it's even worse for you. You don't want to be known as the 'pregnant girl's parents'. Am I right?" She then turned to her father. "And you want _me_ to leave but you want to keep my child?"

"Just until you're on your feet."

"I will be on my feet and I can do it with or without your help. And I'm doing it with Brady, you can't have him!"

And everything had been set in motion from there. She moved out and she and Brady had lived together as happily as they could since then. She was sure her memory of that fight wasn't exact but still…kicking out their only daughter because of disappointment and embarrassment? Despite having proved to her parents that she really could make it on her own and with a baby, it still hurt.

More than she would admit.

As the memories continued to swirl through her head, combining with the reality of her present mistakes, Cadence stared straight ahead of her for a few seconds before finally breaking down and starting to cry.


	24. Red With Rage

**.:24:.**

_Red With Rage_

* * *

"That'll be ten dollars even."

Cisco reached into his pockets and pulled out his wallet, knocking a thing, black plastic object to the floor as well. "Woops." He reached down and picked up the item, and flashed a sheepish smile to the cashier, waiting for him to hand over his money. "It's my magic wand," he explained. "For an online video game. I'm a level 200 warlock that holds reign over the countryside of Camden." He waved the wand a little bit before pointing it towards the cashier, and older man that looked like he had enough of Cisco's shenanigans. "You don't happen to play do you? Because you'd make a _great_ Reigning Wizard." He paused as the man continued to stare at him and he cleared his throat.

"How much was that again?"

"Ten dollars."

"Right."

Cisco quickly paid for his large bag of candy and gave a short salute to the cashier with his wand, and stepped out of line from the convenience store and started down the street towards STAR Labs once more. Rifling through his bag, he checked to be sure that each bag of candy that he bought, to be sure to restock his supply at STAR Labs, was exactly as he had wanted them. He was a big part of the store's candy sales as it was, they couldn't afford to have their most valued customer stop buying sweets from there.

Smiling to himself, Cisco dug his iPod form his pocket and pushed the ear buds into his ears, starting up the podcast he had been listening to on the way: The Psychological Influences of Superheroes on the Human Psyche in terms of personality. Of course he had always been a comic book fan, ever since he was little; always dreaming of being able to live up to what they were able to accomplish, powers or no powers. Now, being around STAR Labs and the Flash, Starling City and the Arrow, knowing there were other metahumans that were good…he couldn't believe it was his life. He was doing a lot of good and he couldn't imagine what his life would be like without the particle accelerator explosion.

He had only made it a few blocks when he heard someone calling his name. Pulling the ear buds from his ears, Cisco turned and watched, eyebrows rising when he spotted Bette walking his way, taking long strides. She gave him a small smile when she finally stopped by him and he looked behind him to be sure she was talking to him.

"Hey Cisco," she said to reassure him.

"Bette," Cisco replied. He ran a hand through his hair. "Did…Are you….but…" he paused and looked her up and down. She looked real. There was nothing about her that would show that she truly had blown up into a million pieces. She looked amazing, actually. "Wow."

"Thanks, I think," Bette replied. "And to answer your question, yes, it's me. I'm actually here." She reached out her glove covered hand and placed it on Cisco's wrist. He could feel the warmth of her skin under the glove and smiled a little. "It's…weird," she admitted. "I truly did think I was dying when I…"

"Blew up?" Cisco broke in. He laughed at the lightly startled look on Bette's face. "Sorry. That was offensive. But…I had no idea how I could phrase that tactfully, honestly." He brushed his hair back from his face and the two started to walk down the street and through the plaza, mixing in with the crowd of business men and women milling around. "I mean, you'd think I'd be used to it by now with everything that's been going on."

"Really?" Bette's eyebrows rose. "What's been going on?"

As he finally had an outlet other than those at STAR Labs to talk to, Cisco told her everything. He told her about what they had been through since her explosion, how they had met and defeated Barry's former Bully and placed him in the jail that was the particle accelerator, how there had been an electrified metahuman that trapped them in STAR Labs and took away Barry's powers, how Oliver Queen had come in from Starling City with his friends and co-workers to follow the trail that the Suicide Squad had left that led them to Central City, and the fight that Oliver, Roy, Barry, and Cadence had fallen into against Harkness, who Cisco nicknamed Captain Boomerang, and Harley Quinn in the department store.

He had been so engrossed in his story that he hadn't noticed the way Bette looked at him when he mentioned the Suicide Squad. He missed the way Bette looked over her shoulder to be sure everything was in place. He even missed her eyebrows furrow together as a flash of guilt moved over her. But, unlike others, she knew she had no choice. Her life was distinctly on the line and she couldn't give control over to Eiling like that.

"It sounds like you guys have been really busy since I was around," Bette remarked.

"Oh yeah." Cisco pretended to buff his knuckles against the front of his shirt. "It's become, like, a routine for us now. We've gotten really great at response times and Barry is amazing! He's constantly improving his speed as the days go on!" He stopped and turned to Bette, not seeming to notice that she had led him to a quieter part of the plaza. "I'm headed to STAR Labs right now, to start my shift, if you want to come by."

Lightly kicking at a rock, Bette lowered her gaze. She made sure her hair covered her face so that Cisco wouldn't be able to read her face as she made her decision. She truly had no choice.

Bette sighed, sliding her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. She gave Cisco a look that he couldn't quite place. But…something wasn't right.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?" Cisco shrugged. "It's not like you haven't been to STAR Labs before, we can go somewhere else. Maybe get some breakfast—"

Cisco was cut off as the air in his lungs suddenly flew out. Choking, he brought his hands up to his neck and gasped for air.

But nothing.

His eyes widened with fear as he looked up at Bette, watching s she looked down at him, the expression on her face showing how torn she was. Should she help him or continue with the plan? Nevertheless, she didn't have a chance to make a decision, as a blond man walked up behind her, holding his hands out towards Cisco.

Lucas raised an eyebrow as he looked down at Cisco and swiftly brought his hands down. Cisco immediately passed out as Lucas removed all of the air in his lungs, but left a little so that there wouldn't be any damage. Once the young man was out, Lucas walked over to him and lifted him up, slinging him over his shoulder.

Bette watched the spectacle, clenching her hands into fists. She had been brought in by Cisco and his friends when she was running away from Eiling. They gave her a place to hide out; they gave her shelter form the General and treated her like a normal person. Not like someone that was willing to immediately blow them up the second she got the chance. And now, in return for making absolute sure that Eiling would never find her again; she was to help in the capture of those at STAR Labs. But now…"You didn't have to do it like that, Lucas," she said.

"It's Stratos," He corrected her. Turning slowly, so that Cisco's legs didn't smack into Bette, he glared at her. "No names, remember?" He tilted his head towards Cisco, who was draped lifelessly over his shoulder. "What, you have feelings for this guy? He's a target, Bette, the only way we'll be sure everything we're working for will work out. Don't get soft on him, we can't have that. Not when Brigade is already starting to turn."

"You don't know that," Bette reminded him.

Reaching over, Lucas grabbed onto Bette's wrist and squeezed hard. The wind around them increased in velocity and her hair stung her face with each whip around her. The sky darkened above them and the sound of rumbling thunder increased around the two of them.

"Don't think we're above sacrificing if we ever need to," he warned her. He shifted Cisco over his shoulder once more. "Now come on. We need to get back to Breathtaker. Once he sees that we have this one, and then we can start on the others."

* * *

 

"You don't see her, you don't see her, you don't see her," Barry murmured as he stood in his bathroom mirror, brushing his teeth. But glancing in the mirror, he could see his mother standing behind him, gently smiling at her son. As the seconds passed, her smile widened as if she was aware she was seeing her son for the first time.

Keeping his head down, Barry moved the toothbrush around his mouth faster and faster, trying to keep his eyes from the mirror. Unfortunately, he found himself drawn back to the reflection and found his mother behind him once more. Now, however, she was reaching out and gently stroking his hair. He could feel the movement on his scalp, sending shivers down his spine and his heart leapt, hopefully. She was there.

 _No!_ Barry squeezed his eyes shut, holding tightly to the edge of the sink. _No, no, no._ "YOU'RE NOT HERE!" He shouted and whirled around, zooming in the direction that his mother had been. However, the image immediately disappeared and he stopped when he reached the wall of his bedroom. Bringing back his fist he started to punch it into the wall as quickly as his abilities would allow.

A crack in the drywall immediately appeared and continued to grow as Barry released his pent-up frustration on the spot until he finally stopped, allowing his hands to drop to his sides. Blood dripped over the knuckles of his right hand and fell to the floor as he rested his forehead against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Sweat dripped down his face, dropping to the floor as well and he turned and sat down on his bed, chest heaving.

Why couldn't he stop seeing his mother everywhere? She wasn't there, _why_ was she torturing him?

His attention was shifted away from the thoughts of his mother as he heard his cell phone buzz, indicating he had gotten a text. Lifting his phone from his pocket, he found he had gotten a text from Oliver.

 **Oliver:** We need to have another session. I need you at the warehouse right now.

 _Of course you do._ Gritting his teeth together, Barry sent back a quick text, punching the digital buttons on the phone so hard that the screen to his phone cracked. Seeing the spider-web like cracks across the screen, Barry gripped his phone tightly in his hand before turning and heaving it across the room, watching as it struck the wall and exploded into pieces.

"Great," he muttered to himself before turning on his heel and racing out of the apartment. The world warped around him, falling by the wayside, and become distorted from view. He moved so quickly, his anger fueling his pace that he could feel the increase in temperature around his body. He came to a stop at the warehouse, brushing the smoldering embers off of his clothes as he walked over to Oliver. "What is it this time?" He asked. "Do you want to get your butt kicked _again_ or was there some sort of lesson that you wanted to try and shove down my throat?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow as he turned towards Barry and looked him up and down. He noticed the blood that was starting to dry on Barry's hand but didn't questions it. There were more pressing matters that needed to be handled at the moment. Some that if he did say anything soon, Barry was eventually going to do something he regretted. "Firstly, you didn't beat me the last time we fought, if you remember correctly, I had you pinned to the ground via arrows in your shoulders and legs."

Barry rolled his eyes as he remembered it. Unfortunately, Oliver had been right. After finally healing from the arrows that had been punched though his arm and calf—and after that crude joke of hearing that Barry healed fast—the two did fight a bit. They had been evenly matched for a while, but then Oliver had gained the upper hand and, with more spring-loaded arrows that had been hidden by the grassy dunes, had pinned Barry to the ground with arrows riddled to his body. Thankfully he had become used to them at that point that he was able to pull them out without screeching in pain. Still, it had been a bit humiliating and now that Oliver was bringing it up again, he felt nothing but rage.

"Secondly, it is not my intention to humiliate you when all I want is for you to get it through your head that you can't just run into a scenario and start fighting whoever and whenever you want," Oliver said. He cast a level gaze on the Flash. "Not only is it stupid, but it's irresponsible, especially for those that may be still inside the building."

Barry rolled his eyes, turning away from the Arrow. Placing his hands on his hips as he shook his head, Barry let out a low breath as his vision flashed red. Closing his eyes, he gritted his teeth, taking in another breath. Unbelievable. He was doing what he did best, helping to make sure that the city remained safe, and he was going to get lectured on that, too. Was there anything that Oliver wouldn't find fault with? Or was his ego just so big that he couldn't fit anyone else there with it?

"Like you've never done that before?" Barry shot back as he finally turned back to the superhero of Starling City. Oliver pressed his lips together as Barry vehemently continued, "Like you haven't gone running right into a scene because it was the best way to go." He motioned towards himself with a sarcastic air. "I'm not sure if you get this, but running is kind of my thing."

"I've noticed." Oliver's words dripped icy cool. Didn't Barry get it? There was more to it than just showing off his powers and hoping it would have him save the day. So far he had only been lucky, things were bound to get worse fast. Especially if the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau were around. "Barry, what you don't understand is that I've been dealing with this for a long time. A very long time, almost nine years. I've seen and done things that I haven't ever wanted to just to stay alive and it was all I could do to stay alive by my own wits, not from super speed."

Barry snorted. He crossed his arms as he waited for Oliver to continue, knowing there was going to be something else that the Green Arrow had to say. _He always has something to say. _As the seconds passed, the red in his vision continued to increase in saturation.

"Unlike you, and Cadence, and all of those people you fight against, Roy and I don't have those abilities to fall back on. We have to fight with our own wits and what we learn through our training. But the problem is, Barry, unless you understand that that's the best way to go about things, I'm afraid you're going to do more harm than good."

Who did Oliver think he was? Barry's mind raced through a million things he wanted to say in retaliation to Oliver and his smugness over knowing what it took to be a hero. There was never one correct way to do anything; Barry knew that from his forays into science and crime scenes. No matter if one person did something one way, he did something another way, or vice-versa. If everything only had one way of working out, then life would be so boring, so uniform, so by the rules.

Well, one thing Barry knew for sure, just because Oliver had been doing his vigilante work longer than Barry had, didn't mean what he was doing was right.

 _But why would he be trying so hard to persuade me?_ Barry thought for a minute then slowly started to smile. Of course. That's what it was. "I get it," he finally replied. "You're jealous. You're jealous because there's, finally, something that you can't do. You may be rich, Oliver. You may be able to have anything you want at a moment's notice. You may have every girl you look at or know fall at your feet, but this is something that you can't do. You can't move as fast as I can. And, you know, because you can't, you might be a little bit slow to pick up on the fact that you are jealous of me."

Oliver licked his lips. There was a brief moment of silence and he let out a quiet sigh through his nose. "That's your theory?"

A cruel laugh escaped the speedster's lips. "It's not a theory when you can see it, when you know it for sure. And it's true. You can train, work out, torture as many people as you want and you still won't ever be able to do what I can do. And that's hurting your pride more than you'd like to admit. But I see it, _Ollie_."

Barry turned on his heel and left the warehouse behind him all in a matter of seconds. He came to a sudden stop when he spotted Cadence coming down the steps of a rundown apartment building, her hand up to her ear, talking into her cell phone. She closed her eyes for a minute, and then nodded before lowering her pone and continuing down the steps. Eyebrows furrowing together, Barry watched her a second longer before going over to her.

"Cadence!"

His calling of her name must've startled her for she slipped down the last steps of the staircase and landed on her butt on the sidewalk. Barry laughed lightly, the sound barely escaping his lips, as he walked over to her. The fire metahuman tilted her head back and looked up at Barry as he approached, placing a hand on her chest.

"You seriously have to stop doing that," she warned him. "At some point you're going to be turned into a Bare-becue and you can't put the blame entirely on me." Running a hand through her hair, she gazed at Barry when he didn't immediately respond to her joke.

Barry pressed his lips together then blurted out with, "Have you ever had someone talk down to you in a way that's so condescending that you just want to punch them in the face? Or get them to shut up somehow?"

A light smile slid onto Cadence's face as she picked herself up off the ground, brushing off the seat of her jeans. "You have no idea," she remarked. "Funny enough, I think I turned out fine being raised as well as two insane people could."

"No, I mean, to the point where they think they know what's best!" Barry continued, as if he hadn't heard anything that Cadence had said. "That they think there's only one way to do things." He started to pace back and forth. "Like Eddie and this whole task force thing to get rid of the Flash! To capture the Flash! Doesn't he understand everything I'm doing is to protect the city, not to destroy it?"

"I—"

"But, no, the only thing he seems to be able to focus on is Iris!" Throwing his hands into the air, Barry's pace increased to the point that Cadence stepped back out of the way so that she wouldn't be caught by one of his flailing arms. "God, it's like they're everywhere! Doesn't he know that they're not good together, that they don't belong together? Not like…" he slowed. "Not like she and I do." He looked over at Cadence who listened quietly. "You see that too, right?" He asked. "You've talked to Iris, hung out with her a few times. You see that we're good for each other right?"

Cadence chewed her lower lip as she thought of how she was going to answer the question. Barry continued to look at her with almost a puppy dog expression that seemed to shift into fury as the second passed and she didn't say exactly what he wanted to hear.

"What?" He demanded with such force that it caused her to take a step back away from him. "Are you against us, too? Don't you think that I'm a better boyfriend for Iris?" He grabbed onto Cadence's shoulders and gently shook her, searching her eyes with his. "Please, Cade, you're my friend. You're the first person I've been able to really open up to about being a metahuman. The last time I thought there was someone else was Bette and you saw what happened to her. But you and I, we're still alive and we're able to be open with each other. So, please, as my friend. Tell me the truth."

Cadence's features screwed up. She truly did think about lying to him, but knowing there was a chance he was under the influence of Bivolo's control, having been whammied…it probably wouldn't bode well for her if she lied and he found out. What would he do if his anger truly did go out of control, if he really did get whammied.

"I think…" she said slowly, looking back at him. "That you don't really like Iris." Barry blinked once as she continued. "I think that you're just afraid that she'll leave you like every else has. Your mother is gone…your father is in jail…Joe and Iris were the last people of your old like that were always there and…I think you're afraid of being abandoned and that you projected those feelings onto Iris and…are mistaking that you're in love with her." Then Barry's face clouded and she quickly brought up her hands, backtracking. "But what do I know? I don't know you two that well. I mean, I haven't known you long, I was just saying…well, I don't know what I was saying. I'm sorry."

"Unbelievable!" Barry took a step back from Cadence and viciously pointed at her. "You're…you're just like him. Like Oliver. A-and Wells! All of them! You think you know what's best for me but you don't, none of you understand me!"

Now Cadence looked at him with a sympathetic expression. "I know how you feel," she said. "It sucks when other people don't know who you truly are, because you can't show them that. Not anymore. I didn't used to be like this; so guarded and everything. But since having had Brady and being kicked out of my house…I don't really know who I can trust anymore. So I close myself off and hold people at a distance. I used to be so open and outgoing. So energetic and ready to meet everyone." She looked meaningfully at Barry. "Kind of like when I'm hanging out with you. When I'm around you, I don't have to hide myself anymore because you know what it feels like to be a metahuman, to be different."

"I used to think the same thing until I realized that you were against me!" Barry held up his hands as Cadence started to speak, then stopped and lowered them to his sides once more. "Forget it!" He spat. "I don't need anyone! And I don't need you!"

"Barry!"

And much like he had done with Oliver before, he turned on his heel and zipped away. This time around, he ran as fast as he could, around and around the city. His vision continued to flash red and return to the normal colors over again. One of the times that he found himself coming down from his intense rage, he was in a good mind space enough to slow to a stop to catch his breath. Then he felt very bad, for having yelled at Oliver and Cadence like he had. They truly didn't deserve it; he didn't even understand why he had gotten so angry.

Turning on his heel, he headed back in the direction of Cadence's apartment and slowed to a stop when he found her a few streets away, walking along with Roy. He started to call out to her, and then stopped when he heard Roy say, "I'm sure if there's something wrong with Barry the guys at STAR Labs would know by now."

"But I'm not the only one that thinks it," Cadence insisted. "You saw how he treated Cait; even you know that that's not like Barry."

Roy shrugged, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Maybe there's something going on that we don't know about," he suggested. "I'm not saying that what he said to Caitlin or how he said it was right, no one deserves t be spoken to like that."

"You're saying it's not Bivolo's handiwork?" Roy thought for a moment before tilting his head back, looking up at the sky. Cadence then started to snap her fingers by his face. "You gotta be a bit quicker than that, Little Red. It's the fast and the furious around here, not shoot first and ask questions later like it is in Starling."

Roy laughed and moved in front of her, smiling down at her. "Starling isn't that bad."

Crossing her arms, Cadence gently tilted her head to the side. "I wouldn't know, honestly, I've never been there. I don't get to travel much."

"Well, the next time you're there I'd be glad to show you around." The Red Arrow then lifted his hands above his head, to prove that he wasn't carrying anything. "And I promise that I'll leave my bows and arrows at home." Cadence's laughter was cut off as Roy leaned in and gave her a kiss, which she returned.

Barry clenched his teeth and started in their direction, only stopping when the alarm on his phone rang, letting him know he was going to be late for his later shift. Sighing heavily, Barry went to the CCPD and strode angrily through the front doors. Everyone that got in his way quickly jumped out of his pat, looking back at him with strange expressions on their faces.

 _I don't care,_ Barry seethed. _No one cares about me, why should I care about them? That's what I should do frown now on, focus on my life and what I'm doing._ In his fuel enraged haste, Barry knocked by Captain Singh, who had beelined in his direction once the assistant forensic scientist was noticed.

"Mr. Allen," Captain Singh called behind him.

"Fuck off," Barry murmured, not slowing down. It wasn't until his name was called once more that he flipped around and glared at his boss. "WHAT?!"

Eyes narrowing into his own fury, Captain Singh placed his hands on his hips. Instead of reaming him for the way Barry had spoken to him, Captain Singh cleared his throat. "Where are you on the Bivolo case? We've got nothing and we're not going to catch this guy if you don't give us more information."

"I'm doing. The best. I can," Barry practically growled.

"Well your best isn't good enough." Barry rolled his eyes and turned away, moving towards the stairs so that he could go up to his personal lab. If it was work he wanted, it was what he was going to do. However, everyone knew that disrespecting the Captain was the quickest way to get demoted or even fired from the force. That would be very damaging to Barry's career and knowing how young he was and the circumstances surrounding his work, Captain Singh wanted to try and give him a little bit of a way out. "Please answer me when I'm speaking to you. Or at least give me the kind of respect I give—"

"RESPECT?!" Barry practically screamed. His voice echoed along the rooms and corridors, causing everyone around them to stop and stare. "Respect? You haven't treated me with any sort of respect since I started working here! And you know what; I'm working on the case. I can't work any harder than I already am but that's not enough for you!" Barry walked down the steps and got into Captain Singh's face. "I work harder than anyone else here, because I've constantly got people like you looking down on me. When I'm done with my job, I will let you know but until I have it, DON'T TALK TO ME!"

"Barry!" Joe hurried over to his pseudo-son and grabbed him by the arm. He quickly apologized to Captain Singh before manhandling the metahuman into the break room, closing the door behind him. He closed it so hard that the Detective was surprised he didn't knock the door off its hinges. "Are you out of your damn mind?" He demanded. "He's our boss and despite the fact that you're the youngest and he went out on a limb of taking my recommendation to hire you so young, you still have to show him respect."

Barry gaped at him in surprise. "You're taking his side?" His voice came out like a wounded little boy's with an expression to match. "You…you're taking his fucking side over mine?" At the curse word, Joe sucked in a deep breath, steeling himself. He never allowed Barry or Iris to curse in his house and despite the speedy metahuman not living with him anymore, they were still a family and rules were rules. "I will not tolerate you speaking to me like that," he said as calmly as possible.

Making a 'tsk' sound with his tongue, Barry stalked towards Joe. "You're just like them! All of them! Wells and Oliver and Caitlin and Cadence and…and Roy…and Felicity…and Cisco! Every last one! I'm sick of everyone acting like I can't ever get the job done. Like I can't do anything right, like I always need help. But you know what? I don't need anyone's help. Least of all yours, because you're part of the reason my life is ruined. Because you put my Dad in fucking jail! You wanna help me Joe? THEN GET HIM OUT OF JAIL!"

He roughly pushed by Joe ignoring the man's protests and pleads to get him to STAR Labs and left the break room. Down the hallway, he saw Iris and Eddie heading out the door of the CCPD, holding hands.

It looked like they were back together.

Lucky them.

 _Not everyone can be so lucky_ , Barry thought as he slowly started to move after them, pace increasing with each step. _I know what that's like. I've had nothing but bad luck following me since Mom's death._ And through that time he hadn't said anything about it, about what he had been feeling deep down inside.

But everyone was going to know now.

He couldn't hold it in anymore.

And not even the image of his mother was going to stop him


	25. Unraveling

**.:25:.**

_It was only a matter of time until something like this happened,_ Harrison thought. _I'm surprised it took this long._ He looked over the screen that sat in front of him and watched as the dot that was The Flash, blasted back and forth across Central City in a heavily erratic manner. There was no other question than Bivolo's handiwork having taken over the speedy metahuman finally.

Just what he needed to see. Everything was falling into place in many other areas; however this wasn't what was supposed to happen. Barry Allen wasn't supposed to fall under the control of anyone other than him. Barry Allen was supposed to be The Flash, h was supposed to fulfill a destiny that everyone in Central City and everyone in his life would benefit from. However, at the moment, he had no idea to help him if he didn't have any information.

Turning his wheelchair around, he watched as Felicity paced across the main floor of STAR Labs, a phone up to her ear. She let out a slight sigh, grimacing, and then lowered her phone. "That was Oliver; he said that Barry has been acting really strange."

"Strange how?" Harrison's words practically pounced on her. Anything that would jump start a plan into helping Barry and making sure his destiny and the future played out the way they were supposed to. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned and found Detective Joe West quickly walking over to him, breathing heavily. "Detective West…I'm not one to make puns against police officers and their workout habits, but you appear to be a bit winded." He smiled a little at his joke and Detective West managed a tiny chuckle.

"I came here as soon as I could," Detective West explained. He wiped beads of sweat off his forehead and let out a heavy sigh. "I just came from the CCPD where Barry practically…blew down the house which I wouldn't be so sure is against his mode of operation at this point." He shook his head. "He's…mad. This is the angriest I've ever seen him before. It's as if he were full of unbridled rage."

"That's precisely what we've deduced that Bivolo has been able to do," Harrison explained. "He seems to have been able to manipulate the emotional areas of person's brain and use it for his own personal use. The robbery that he managed to accomplish while all of those people were attacking each other…" He drummed his fingers against the arms of his wheelchair as he thought. His eyes shifted towards the doorway as Caitlin walked towards the group, her phone up to her ear.

"And it's getting kind of late, Cisco, I hope you make it soon," she said as she walked along, concern evident in her voice. "You know how Dr. Wells is about punctuality." She hung up the phone and slid it into her purse before looking around the floor. "What'd I miss? I was only gone for about an hour."

"Yes, Dr. Snow, I hope that your lunch break was enjoyable," Harrison said, his eyes on her. The corners of his mouth lifted very slightly. Only so that she noticed the subtle change in his expression. "However Detective West has arrived with the troubling news that Barry appears to have finally fallen under Bivolo's powers."

Caitlin's eyes widened as she settled herself at her desk. This wasn't good, if he finally fell underneath Bivolo's having whammied him, that meant that his rage had to have been about ten times worse than those that tried to kill each other when they were in the bank. And for someone who was never normally an angry person, but who also had enhanced speed could do anything he set his mind to. Those two instances put together was bound to cause utter chaos and destruction the city wasn't ready for.

"It's possible that his body is fighting off the affects," Caitlin remarked. "So it's hitting him slower but stronger." She looked back at Harrison who nodded in agreement.

"And when it comes to rage, the more you suppress your emotions…"

"…The bigger the explosion," Felicity finished his thought.

Joe let out a worrying breath and ran his hand over his face. It would've been hard enough if Barry was just Barry and he was angry. When regular Barry was angry his words could cut deep, everything he kept inside blowing to the point that his words were shrapnel, slicing and impaling his target. That was the hard part, dealing with every true thing that Barry had kept inside for so long, coming out on the other side was even harder. No. This was different. Barry with superhuman powers was a danger to everyone.

"What can we do to stop it?" He asked helplessly. "Something tells me that waving a gun in his face wouldn't stop him anymore than having Tony Woodward sock him in the jaw."

"None of _us_ can stop Barry," Harrison pointed out to the mortals that were surrounding him in the room. "Fortunately, though, each of us knows someone who can." He cleared his throat before addressing Felicity. "I need you to get in touch with Roy, Oliver, and Diggle and let them know what's gig on. I'd rather have the Arrow going after the Flash knowing what it is that's premeditated him to act this way and not as a means to try and get back at Barry."

Felicity gently shook her head. "Oh. Oh, no, Dr. Wells. Oliver isn't like that. He's not one that's willing to let words get to him and—"

"And exact revenge on the person that has the means to take his personal thoughts, feelings, and potential mistakes and throw them back into his face?" Harrison interrupted. His eyes narrowed as he watched Felicity. "You're right, I truly don't think Oliver Queen, the _Vigilante, the Arrow,_ would ever do something like that."

Thinking for a moment, Felicity nodded mutely. "I-I'll be sure to pass along the message that Oliver is in no uncertain terms to kill Barry." She turned her head, blonde ponytail bobbing as she did so. "I mean, I know he already has a lot under his repertoire but…" she trailed off, realizing her joke wasn't getting the sort of response she had been intending. "Sorry, that was incredibly stupid of me to say." Bringing her hands up, she pressed her fingertips to her forehead, hoping to shield her reddening face from being seen albeit the small glances she turned the others' way. "Remember, I went to MIT."

"Yes, we all remember Felicity," Harrison said dismissively. "You're very smart." He turned back to Detective West, who appeared stunned, if not confused about what was going on around him. Either that or he was still reeling from the accusation hurtled his way by the young man. Harrison didn't believe Detective West would get over the words that Barry said that had undoubtedly haunted him for the rest of his life.

That had been the words and accusations that had been thrown in his face in the wake of the particle accelerator explosion. His past had been dug into; his old life with Tess had been belittled by those that didn't understand. He was nitpicked left and right, called a murderer and a coward, everything that would reduce even the strongest man to tears. And yet, he still found himself moving forward as he worked hard to be sure the future was made the way it was to be.

Unfortunately, not everyone could handle it the way he could.

"Detective West, I give you my sincerest promise that we _will_ bring him back to be the Barry Allen that we all know and love," he said.

Joe glanced at him and nodded before dropping himself into an empty computer chair, watching the computer screen as Barry's signifier continued to race back and forth on the screen. Joe watched the movement, eyebrows furrowing together. What was Barry doing? Where was he going? As he continued to watch, Joe took note of the street names that he continued to fly by. He didn't appear to be going anywhere in particular. What if he wasn't?

"Do you see this?" He asked Harrison and Caitlin, gesturing to the screen. "He looks like he's going somewhere, but…this isn't any of the normal places he goes."

"Well, where would he be going?" Caitlin asked, looking at her watch.

"I don't know, but it can't be good. He had just gotten into a screaming match with Captain Singh before myself. He booked it out of the precinct faster than I could make it to the door of the break room. But wherever he's going, he's going fast."

Harrison quickly made up his mind. "Dr. Snow, please track Barry's movement and let me know if there's anything that you come across." Grasping the wheels of the chair he moved himself forward and backwards repetitively, his version of pacing. "Anything at all that you deem will be of importance. There is something that I need to be sure of." He started to leave the room but stopped, then turned back to the opening of the floor. "Before I leave I must implore you…does the name 'Brigade' mean anything to you?" He asked.

Caitlin thought for a minute, gently chewing on her lower lip, the movement drawing Harrison's eyes towards her. Finally, her eyebrows rose and a tentative expression slid onto her face. It was the first time in years he had seen her mentally second guess herself.

"While talking with Cisco, Cadence mentioned that it was one of her nicknames," she said. "She wanted Cisco to use it rather than calling her Flash Fire or the other superhero names that he came up with. Personally I don't think that one works either."

"I'll handle Cisco's insistence on nicknaming everyone once I get some answers," Harrison said, turning away from Caitlin. "And speaking of Cisco please let me know once you get in contact with him. There are some things I need to speak with him about."

"Sure thing, Dr. Wells."

Harrison turned his wheelchair around and headed towards his office. It was just as he had thought. His insistence on watching her, knowing what she had been up for so long…it didn't surprise him in the slightest to know she was working with the Assassination Bureau. It wasn't just a coincidence that some things were happening since her appearance. However, he knew for sure there were things about her work that others didn't know. That's what Gideon had showed him once he had been sure to search through his files.

Brigade.

The name immediately flashed him back to a time where things were difficult yet simple all the same. Before he had lost the love of his life and started his life work on the Particle Accelerator. Back when he was able to look over at Tess as she sat in the passenger seat of the car and recognized her absentminded twirling of her hair that broadcasted the nervousness she had done an amazing job at hiding until they reached the city line for Metropolis.

"Honey…" Harrison reached out and gently tugged at her hand, allowing the chocolate colored tresses to fall through her fingers in waves. "Everything's going to be okay. I've spoken to them and they're all very excited for us to be seeing them."

"I know," Tess replied. "I know. And everything _should_ be okay, but…do you think she'll know who we are? Do you think they would've told her who we are?" At Harrison's skeptical glance Tess continued, lowering her head. "I know that it was a closed adoption and it was the best agreement, but…maybe something slipped and they had to tell her."

"Tess…Kent and Maya have given us their word that they wouldn't say anything unless we thought it was a good time for them," Harrison said.

Even as the words came out of his mouth he knew it wasn't the truth. It was the lie he had told her to protect her, to keep her from knowing the truth. That he had asked for Kent and Maya Nash, some of his greatest friends, to keep it quiet that they were Cadence's birth parents. Until they felt the time was right. The records of their true identities as the birth parents were to be kept sealed, but that didn't mean they weren't to stay in contact as they were allowed. That didn't meant they still couldn't be close. As it was their first time seeing her…seeing their daughter, things were bound to be messy and nerve-wracking on both sides.

It would be easier that way if they were just seen as friends. Easier to hide, easier to deal with, easier to wrap their heads around as they waited for the right time to tell the truth.

"What about for us?" Tess demanded, emotion breaking through her resolve. "I…I know that through our work, through our careers that it was the best thing for her, for us. But…in my heard I know that not telling her the truth, not being able to be there for her in the way we were meant to…I don't think I agree with that."

"I know." And Harrison did know. He didn't agree with all of it either, there were many things he had grappled with as he stood outside the hospital's nursery, looking down into his daughter baby bassinet as she slept quietly. And when he held her in his arms for the first time, gently bouncing her up and down, watching as she watched him in return he wanted nothing more than to change his mind.

But he couldn't.

It'd hurt his friends too much to take away what they had wanted for so long.

What he and Tess had wanted for so long but came at the most inopportune time.

Instead Harrison tightened his grip on Tess's hand before bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of it. A quick, comforting kiss that allowed her to feel what he had been feeling and thinking the entire drive up. And the way she squeezed his hand back let him know she understood. The scientist glanced over at his wife, giving a small smile, before shifting his focus back on the road in front of him. He let out a heavy sigh that seemed to take his soul with it as he slowed, turning into a suburban neighborhood and crawled through the streets, looking for the correct house.

He arrived just as Kent Nash stepped out of his car in the driveway, having just arrived back home from a day at work. He turned and waved as Harrison slowed the car to a stop at the side of the road and the two climbed out. "Harrison, Tess!" Kent's voice boomed through the air, accompanied by a bright smile and wave. "We thought you would arrive yesterday."

"Yes, well, there was something last minute we had to take care of at the lab," Tess replied. She smiled a little, her left arm looped through Harrison's, clutching it tightly. "Otherwise we would have, it is quite a long drive from Maryland."

"The traffic wasn't too heavy when we left," Harrison continued. "Albeit there being a few car accidents. I'd say we made good time considering." He smiled, knowing that his joke, which wasn't much of a joke, would go over the heads of those around him. He had to keep himself entertained somehow. This time around, it was keeping his nerves at bay.

"Good to hear. Well, come on in, I'm sure that dinner is just about ready and you know Maya, she doesn't like her food to grow cold." With a sweeping gesture of his arm, Kent led Harrison and Maya up the flagstaff bricked walkway and into the house. Once the front door was pushed open, the sound of quick, little footsteps thundering their way.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Harrison's heart clenched at the call he so wanted to hear but found was coming from the little girl that raced into Kent, latching onto his leg. Kent laughed as he set his briefcase aside, giving himself enough space to pick up the girl into his arms, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Hey there, my little Cade Brigade. How are you doing today."

"Fine," the two year old replied with a bright smile. She reached down and started to pull at his tie, giggling as it flapped against his shirt. "Mommy mad."

"Mommy's mad?" Kent replied. "Why is Mommy mad?"

Beside him, Harrison could hear the sound of Tess letting out a quiet whimper at the word 'Mommy'. He put his arm around her and held her tightly to his side, gently rubbing her arm. It had to be harder on her, having had the stronger connection of carrying their daughter for nine months.

"Late….dinner cold."

"Ah, I'm not that late." Kent lowered and placed Cadence on the floor, steadying her as she wobbled on her feet. "Your Mommy'll be okay. As a matter of fact, I think I smell her spaghetti right now." Kent kneeled beside her and turned her towards Harrison and Tess. "Cade, these are my friends Harrison and Tess."

A wide smile, showing some of Cadence's teeth, split across her face as she lifted her hand and waved at the two of them. "Hi!" She greeted them cheerfully before toddling over and hugging each of their legs. Tess looked over at Kent for permission before leaning down and picking up the girl in her arms, hugging her tightly, which Cadence eagerly returned. She turned her head to the side, resting her cheek on Tess's shoulder and smiled at Harrison as well, striking the man with blue-green eyes that were a mixture of his and Tess's.

And as she smiled he could see the mischief that Tess always managed to bring, along with his own inquisitive nature that reflected in her eyes. Tess hugged their daughter for a long moment before finally giving Harrison the chance to hold her against his shoulder. Cadence said 'hi' again before reaching up and taking his glasses, gently sliding them off her face and holding them over her own eyes. He smiled as she giggled, moving them closer and away from her face before reaching up and sliding them back onto Harrison's face with a little help from the man.

Kent allowed Harrison to hug her a little bit longer before motioning towards her, an uncomfortable expression passing along his face. Noticing it, Harrison immediately placed Cadence on her feet and she toddled over to an inflatable ball that sat in the corner of the hallway and picked it up, spinning it in her hands.

"Maya's just this way in the kitchen," Kent explained and led the way. Harrison looked over the pictures that lined the wall of the family as they went along, being careful to hold tightly onto Tess's hand. If either of them got engrossed…

"Tess! Harrison!"

Maya Nash walked gracefully over to the two in all her beauty. Her eyes shone with warmth as she greeted her friends with equally warm hugs. The hugs lasted a while as she gently rubbed their backs, giving her silent thanks for what they had done for her. They had already said their 'thank you's' and 'you're welcomes' enough in the few days before, during, and after Tess had gone into labor. There wasn't enough in the world that would change things.

And as they spent their first visit with the Nash's since that day in the hospital, their first visit with their daughter who had no idea who her real parents were, Harrison and Tess couldn't help but pass her back and forth between their grasps and they caught up with old friends. And everything had been great, amazing even, the smiles the married scientists had accumulated throughout the day weren't erased until later the next day when they realized it may be a whole other year until they saw her again.

Life went on, and Harrison and Tess had started to see her as much as they were allowed; birthday, holidays, special celebrations. Then Harrison's world had fallen apart and Tess died, he backed off considerably, only showing up a few times, and then went back more and more. It was the best way to keep himself with his family, with the leftover parts that hadn't yet been ripped away from him. And he continued to stay in touch, to see what was going on, as if he knew that, at some point, his little girl was going to be calling for her father for help.

Her real father.

And Harrison knew the day had come she showed up at STAR Labs on the back of Barry Allen.

Wheeling himself into his secret room, rising up to his full height, Harrison walked over to the yellow suit that was perched on the wall.

Today was the day.

* * *

 

Cadence rested her cheek in her palm as she waited for the irritating dial tone to stop buzzing in her ear. It was all she could do to keep her phone from melting from the simple movement of curling her free hand into a fist.

How hard was it to stay on the line long enough to answer a few questions? _I'd rather sit through a four hour lecture than to this git tell me that the apartment isn't available._ Not especially after she and Roy had gone to the apartment complex to take a tour of the place. She had just left the apartment after stopping for lunch to go to the appointment when Barry had appeared by her side, calling her name so loudly that she had fallen down the stairs.

Barry yelled at her and before she got a chance to try and get him to calm down, to have him sit still long enough so that she could teleport them to STAR Labs before he could get away and so Caitlin could get a good look at him. Then there had been Roy, ambling up the street towards her with what appeared to be a shy smile on his face. After asking what he was doing there, including a quick jab about going to his grandmother's house for a visit, she found the two of them talking about Barry and what was going on.

Then he had kissed her. Roy kissed her.

And it was a good kiss, a great kiss, actually. She hadn't been kissed in so long and the way his hands gently rested on her shoulders as he kissed her made her feel warm, warmer still as she could feel herself loosening her control on her powers, allowing the air to warm round them. And it made her feel that she was more than a metahuman, more than someone that kept to herself to be sure nothing went wrong.

And yet…in the back of her mind she knew it wasn't going to go anywhere other than the initial attraction. There were too many factors that'd set them apart, the distance, her responsibilities, his work as the red arrow…not to mention she probably wouldn't be able to stop making fun of his 'resting smolder face' that appeared to rival Flynn's from Tangled.

When the kiss had ended she laughed lightly, unsure of what to say, but Roy merely cast her a smirk, saying, "It was the best way I could think of to apologize for shooting you with an arrow".

"Oh really?" Cadence asked once she found her voice.

His response confused her a little. They had been talking about Barry…and he wanted to apologize for shooting her with an arrow. _Quit complaining, idiot. It's not every day you get a kiss like that_ her head reminding her of how single she was. The only way that'd change would be if she could completely open herself up to someone and become vulnerable one more.

Easier said than done.

"You couldn't come up with anything else?"

To that Roy shrugged. "Nothing as fun," he admitted.

"Good answer, Little Red, good answer." Cadence patted him on the arm and the two continued until they found the apartment building she hoped to move herself and Brady into. It was definitely better than their old one, two bedrooms with a small sunroom area that'd give both of them a place to work, washer and dryer, a dishwasher, and came with bookshelves. All of the space either of them were going to need. And yet she had to be sure she could break the least from her last apartment, which was the only reason she hadn't taken the offer once it was given to her.

Now, instead, she wished she had listened to Roy's insistence and just took it. Moving from one place to another all in one day would be less stressful than the phone call she continued to wait on. After a few more minutes she hung up the phone and tossed it aside. Closing her eyes, she turned and stretched out on the threadbare couch, resting her head on the armrest.

A few moments later she felt her eyelids being lifted one by one.

"Momma?" The quiet, almost scared voice caused the fire metahuman to immediately open her eyes and right herself and study Brady tugging on the bottom of his shirt. He looked up at his mother from under his bangs, chewing his lip even harder, appearing on the verge of tears. Cadence watched as he held out a folded sheet of paper.

"What's this?" Cadence took the paper and turned it to the front, laughing quietly when she saw it was an 'I'm sorry' card where the two 'r's were bigger than the rest of the word.

"A card," Brady said quietly, watching Cadence's reaction as she opened the card and spotted the drawings on the inside. On the left that of a crying face, and one on the right of a smiling face with flowers around it. "I'm sorry for yelling at you because I was mad." He brought an arm up and wiped at his eyes. "I don't want you to be sad."

Cadence's face screwed up. "I'm not sad."

"I'm sorry I made you cry."

 _Oh._ He had heard her crying after their fight. Well, she _had_ been upset by what he said. She knew there was a time that he would start to ask about his father and really push about wanting to know him. She had always said she'd tell him the truth no matter what he asked, but when faced with it, it caught her off guard. Their fight was just as much her fault as was his, and as quiet as he had been that morning when she sent him to school and how upset he was getting now, it had to have been eating him up more than she knew.

"You didn't make me cry, Bud." Cadence reached out and grabbed onto Brady, pulling him up onto the couch and back against her chest. "I was frustrated. I didn't mean to make you said either." Reaching out, she smoothed the tears off his cheeks. "I didn't mean to yell at you like that when you were just trying to express yourself. I should've listened better." Brady didn't respond, sniffling every few seconds as he tried to stop crying. "I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"Uh-huh." Brady wiped his eyes once more. "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course, Bud." Cadence hugged him tightly, smiling as Brady turned his face into her neck, holding onto her tightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"And I love this card." Cadence lifted it and placed it on the coffee table in front of them. "Even if you did draw me with a big head."

"You have a big head." Brady managed a smile.

"No, I don't."

"You have a big mouth, too."

"I'll give you that one." Cadence dug her fingers into Brady's ribs and he laughed, squirming away before the fire metahuman leaned in and gave him a long, noisy kiss on the cheek, causing him to squirm harder. "Anyway, Brady, I have a surprise for you."

The young boy's eyes widened with excitement as he sat up. "What? What is it?"

Cut off by the sound of her phone buzzing loudly, Cadence reached over and picked it up. Seeing Caitlin's name appear on the screen she looked at the text message with a frown.

 **Cait:** SOS. Need you back at STAR Labs now!

 **Cade:** On my way!

"I'll tell you later." Cadence held onto Brady's wrists.

The two teleported to STAR Labs in a puff of smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this story and two sequels have been completed in their entirety on the FFN profile, DarkElements10. But for those that are reading here, I'm very glad that you're taking the chance on this series. It has been a labor of love for me for the past 4 years (4 years exactly this October) and I continue to enjoy it. 
> 
> That being said, please leave me a comment to let me know what's confusing, needs to be explained a bit more, or just what you think in general. I take any and all feedback and use it to be a better writer.


	26. Betrayal (1)

**.:26:.**

_Betrayal_

* * *

 

Caitlin watched, holding her breath as Felicity sat at the computer in front of her, frantically trying to find Barry on the newly upgraded STAR Labs system. Joe sat to her right, watched Felicity with the same sense of desperation that Caitlin was exuding though about one hundred times more. This was the boy that had managed to turn his life around in more ways that Barry would've ever imagined.

If something ever happened to him…

Oliver, Diggle, and Roy waited for whatever information that Felicity could give them on the whereabouts of Barry, to stop him. But Caitlin's mind was in a completely different place. In two different places, actually. One being that she was worried about Cisco. He wouldn't ever miss something like this and now matter how many texts and calls she had already sent his way, he wasn't picking up. That worried her more than anything else. His not responding to texts until after a few hours was pure Cisco as he usually found himself more engrossed in whatever video game he was obsessed with at the time. There had been many times where she had gone over to his apartment to bring him some food knowing that his binges would keep him from the grocery store, or force him out of the house and into the fresh air, where she would patiently listen to his explanations and theories about whatever game it was that he was playing at the time.

And he did the same for her, tearing her away from her work and her studies when needed, giving her a break from her routine of reading and researching 'for pleasure' to go see a movie or have some sort of adventure that only Cisco could bring.

His lack of attendance had to have meant that something was wrong.

The second thing that had her worries muscles working overtime was wondering what Wells was up to. She had seen how close the man had gotten to Barry as a mentor and a friend and knew that he would do his best to protect the speedy metahuman as he would protect the rest of them. She felt nothing but safe whenever she was around Harrison. Despite the fact that he was only in another room, maybe figuring out something that would help Barry's influence under being whammied by a metahuman running around somewhere, she felt unsafe. Vulnerable and susceptible to any sort of attack that could come their way.

Not even knowing that Oliver and Roy, who were the same vein as Barry in Starling City if not more experienced, were there to help out made her feel any better. Things weren't going well for Team Flash at the moment.

"I don't like this," she finally murmured. "Cisco is _never_ this late, that's Barry's thing, speed aside." She whipped out her phone and looked down to be sure she hadn't missed a call or text from her friend. Chewing her lower lip, she turned back to Joe. "You don't think something happened do you?"

"If something has happened, don't you think there'd be some sort of, like, calling card from one of the guys that you go after?" Roy pointed out, arms crossed as he watched figures and images fly across the face of the computer screen. "Guys like that usually like to brag about kidnappings or something like that."

"If he even was kidnapped," Oliver pointed out. He let out a low breath and paced; his hands behind his back. "Though I wouldn't completely throw out the idea, especially as it appears that you have a traitor in your midst." He looked up as silence captured the attention of the others. Even Felicity turned in his chair to stare at the man.

"You have to be kidding," she remarked.

"I wish I was," Oliver said honestly. "But it can't be a coincidence that Cisco hasn't appeared yet as he's one of the first ones that's around in times like this." Hearing her own thoughts was so jarring to Caitlin that she suddenly became angry.

"I don't appreciate what you're trying to insinuate!" She snapped. "Right now we have to find Barry and we have to save him, to make sure that he doesn't hurt anyone else." She turned back to Felicity and placed her under a hard stare. "Felicity, please."

Felicity nodded, glanced at Oliver one last time, and then turned back to the computer.

The bioengineer turned as Cadence and Brady appeared in STAR Labs. "What's going on?" She asked, hurrying over to the group. She glanced at Detective West as she went by him to stand beside Caitlin. "I got your text. Is it bad?"

"Got him!" Felicity broke in before Caitlin could answer despite a worrying gaze. "Downtown traffic camera has him at the corner of Maple and Birch…" she trailed off, leaning closer to the screen as a light gasp escaped her lips. "Looks like he found someone he wants to take his anger out on." Moving away from the computer, she gave the others a good look at the screen, causing Joe's eyes to widen as he moved towards the screen.

"That's Eddie," he breathed, motioning to the figure that lay sprawled on the ground, appearing to be unmoving. His eyes the shifted to the corner of the screen. "And Iris. Oh boy." Running his hands over his hair, he took a few steps back. If anger was the running feeling of his rampage right now, then things were probably going to be getting a lot worse, especially if his feelings about Iris and Eddie caused him to go over the deep-end. "We need to stop him now."

"Suit up," Oliver declared, to which Roy nodded and the two went over to their suits and weapons, which had been placed in make-shift lockers in the room that held Barry's and Cadence's suits.

Cadence turned to Caitlin, gently pushing Brady forward. "Cait, do you mind?"

"Not at all," Caitlin replied, reaching out a hand and pulling the eight-year old boy towards her. "Be careful, Cade." Her words were a common warning to Barry and Cadence whenever they were going off to fight a metahuman or stop some sort of robbery in progress. This time around, Cadence could hear how sincerely the doctor meant those words and how fearful she was for her friends.

Cadence gave her friend a smile and a comforting nod. "I will." Cadence turned to Brady and gave him a warning look. "Listen to everything Caitlin tells you."

Brady nodded. "I will." He reached out and gave his mother a hug before stepping back into Caitlin's grasp. He watched as his mother teleported into the room that held their suits then reappeared next to him and Caitlin, dressed in her suit, pulling her goggles over her eyes. "Bring Barry back."

"You got it, bud." Once her goggles were in place, Cadence teleported in a puff of smoke.

"Do you really think she can stop him?" Joe asked, staring hard at the screen. "He's fast. And his speed will make even some of the weaker hits feel like a mack truck, if not immediately snapping someone's neck. If he's this angry, we don't know what he can do."

"That's why Oliver and Roy are going to help," Felicity declared. "They can't do it on their own."

"That's right." Harrison wheeled back into the room and Caitlin let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. The familiar feeling of safety was back. Now that he had an expression of determination on his face as he moved closer to Joe. "None of them can do it on their own, it's wise if they all utilize their talents to try and stop Barry before he becomes virtually unstoppable." He laced his fingers together, dropping his hands to his lap. "With the three of them together, I can pretty much say that things should be very interesting."

"What are we going to do in the meantime?" Diggle asked. Leaning forward, he placed his hands on the edge of the counter in front of him, careful not to press any buttons on the touch-screen panes. "Does anyone have any ideas how to stop Barry's rage-fest?"

Harrison lifted a finger. "That's precisely what I went to do." He turned towards Joe. "Though I'm going to need your help. I know we haven't seen eye-to-eye in the past, Joe, but in this instance, I'm going to insist that I know that is right for Barry at this certain point in time."

They truly had never seen eye to eye. The only thing they had agreed upon so far was that they didn't particularly trust Oliver Queen and what he said he was in Central City for as well as Barry's claims that he was a hero. The sort of influence that Oliver exhibited on the young hero wasn't' something they needed. Even from the very beginning Joe West didn't like the idea of what Harrison Wells was bringing his son into. Not the danger or the crazy ideas there was someone else out there that truly had killed his mother. And yet as time went on, despite his continued grievances, Joe could admit there was many times that Harrison Wells knew more that he did in the matter and what was best for Barry in some instances.

"Whatever you say, Dr. Wells. Lead the way." Joe followed Harrison out of the main floor of the lab as Caitlin sighed and turned back the image that was shone on Cisco's computer.

"Where are you, Cisco?" She said under her breath.

Brady frowned, tilting his head back towards her. "Cisco's gone?" He asked.

"I don't know where he is." Caitlin then hurried over to Felicity and placed her hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. "Felicity, we have the facial recognition software on here. Do you think there's any way that we can use it to find Cisco?"

Felicity thought for a moment before her eyes shone with barely contained exhilaration. "There are cameras all over the city and they have their own mainframe when it comes to the electronic and digitized grids. I just have to tap into the right ones and scour their databases to see if there's any stock footage of Cisco going around." She cracked her knuckles, wincing and shaking out her hands. "Ow, I have to stop doing that."

Diggle managed a small smile as he watched the two girls with Brady standing by their side, inching towards the computer in fascination. He turned as Oliver and Roy came out of the costume holding area, dressed in their suits and holding onto bows. "Be on your toes, guys," Diggle called to them. "Barry can move incredibly fast but that doesn't mean that you won't be able to figure out a pattern to take him down."

Despite the surrounding circumstances, Caitlin snorted. "Please. Whether or not he's under the influence of some sort of road rage metahuman, he can take Oliver. Barry has superpowers; Oliver has a bow and arrow."

There was a pregnant pause. Then, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, Diggle slowly turned his head to face Caitlin an expression of unamusement on his face. "Do you know how many people Oliver has _killed_ with that bow and arrow?"

"No. How many?" Brady piped up.

"Nevertheless, experience trumps speed and Oliver is nothing short of experience."

Felicity glared as she turned around in her seat to face them. " _Please_ tell me you're not having this conversation right now." She then turned back to Oliver. Her eyes widened slightly behind her glasses as he looked back at her, waiting for her to speak. " _Please_ don't kill Barry. Not only is it that he's a source of inspiration to this city, but he's one of the few people that I don't manage to make a fool of myself around when I can help it." She then paused as Oliver raised an eyebrow slightly turning his head away. "Not that…that I _try_ to make myself look like a fool around you…you—or anyone else. I mean, who would want to do that? Just to make a lasting impression? An embarrassing one at that, who would do that willingly?"

"Felicity," Roy broke in.

"Right. Yeah. Go kick his butt." She held her hands up. "Gently."

A slight smile graced Oliver's lips that fell into a dark expression of seriousness as he turned on his heel and, with Roy by his side, disappeared in the shadows.

* * *

 

Barry gritted his teeth, pumping his arms and legs as he followed behind the silver car that continued through downtown Central City, as he had been for the past several miles. He needed to be sure they were alone before he could make his move. Not that hose in the car minded, being in the comfort of their own space, darkened windows on Eddie's nice, expensive car, he could barely make out the shapes of their forms pressing together in a quick kiss when pulled up to a red light, or their hands being held on the console.

It hurt, and yet Barry continued to follow them. Tired of having to keep everything inside, ready to take it out on those that truly did deserve it. She had played with his heart over the years, throwing it this way and that, stomping on it every time she mentioned the word 'friends'. Didn't she see how much it hurt him? If they were such close friends she would've known the truth behind his eyes, begging to be free from his body as he continued to stuff them down. Then there was Eddie, the one that had swooped in and taken what was rightfully his.

Loyalty be damned.

He finally got his chance once he found the car come up to a red light with no others at the intersection. No pedestrians, no passersby, just him and that stupid little silver car that taunted him as he spotted Iris in the front seat, acting as if the car were actually hers. Barry ran to the side of the car as time slowed around him in his crimson hued vision. He smashed through the passenger side window and forcibly yanked Eddie out of the car, momentarily seeing Iris's face turn from that of confusion to horror as time sped up and glass exploded everywhere.

"Eddie!"

Barry could hear Iris call her boyfriend's name as she quickly braked the car, the squealing accompanying Eddie's cry of confusion that turned to a satisfied grunt when Barry flung him to the ground. Gasping, groaning, Eddie twisted onto his side and his mouth dropped open when he spotted Barry standing in front of him, glaring down as his eyes turned red.

"Looking for me?" He snarled, his voice flashed; vocal chords vibrating so that no one would recognize him. "I decided to make it easy for you." He stalked towards Eddie as the police officer stared in wide-eyed wonder. Little cuts from the glass and gravel rested on his face, neck, and arms, causing Barry to smile.

 _I guess he's not as invincible as he thought._ Barry smirked and started to walk closer to Eddie, watching as the blond man inched back with each one of Barry's steps. Swallowing hard, Eddie got to his feet and hurried towards Barry, aiming a punch at him. But Barry grabbed onto his arm and brought Eddie forward, kneeing him in the gut before turning and heaving him to the ground.

"Eddie!" Iris called behind him, having gotten out of the car. She stood by the door, mouth hanging open like a drawbridge, staring at the spectacle in front of her. At the sound o her voice, Barry turned, allowing Eddie enough time to catch his breath and reach for his gun. The Flash turned back towards Eddie and shifted out of the way as Eddie fired two bullets at him. Screaming at the sudden gunshots, Iris brought her hands up to cover her face and dropped to the ground.

She heard the sound of metal hitting metal and, shaking, looked over to find bullet holes in the car door nearest to her. She had been shot at. Eddie had shot at her. It was to save her but…what would've happened if he hadn't missed the Flash?

"Iris!" Eddie called, his voice filled with horror as he strained to see, having heard her voice. "Are you okay?"

Barry zipped forward and struck Eddie once more before turning back to Iris and grabbing her by the shoulders, shooting across the street and pressing her against the brick wall of the building. Iris looked up into Barry's face as he flashed it, his mind clear enough to continuously keep that secret from the two of them. Besides, it was too much fun watching her cower in the fear she tried her hardest to hide.

"You won't do it," she said to him. "This isn't you. What are you doing?"

Barry moved his face closer to Iris's and snarled, "How do you know? You don't know me." He then yelled in her face, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut and turned her head away. "YOU'VE NEVER KNOWN ME!" His fingers tightened against her shoulders, allowing a small whimper to escape her lips. And yet, she sucked in a deep breath and turned back to him, giving him a determined stare. Barry faltered a bit, allowing Eddie to fire off another shot, hitting him in the shoulder.

Screaming, Barry dropped Iris, allowing her to fall to the ground before scrambling to safety, and whipped around to face Eddie, who continued to point the gun at him. "Do you think that you can just come out here and take whatever you want? That you can have anything the moment you snap your fingers?"

"What are you talking about?" Eddie managed to get out seconds before Barry had him and punched him across the face. The force sent him tumbling a few yards away from Barry. But he liked the chase, and the slower it went the more fun it was for him.

Barry stared to walk closer to Eddie, his eyes boring down on him, stopping when Cadence suddenly teleported in front of him and grabbed onto Eddie, then teleported back by his car. She carefully turned Eddie around, laying him on the wheel behind him as Iris hurried over, her footsteps clacking along the empty street.

"Are you okay?" Cadence asked the police officer.

"Yeah." He licked his lips, wincing as his tongue sent a bolt of pain as the split came in contact with his saliva. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Eddie. Eddie!" Iris fell by her boyfriend's side and gently took her face in his hands, looking him over before turning to Cadence. Within the combination of the darkness of night, her goggles, and her falling around her face in thick waves, Cadence's identity was protected from Iris. "Thank you," She said to her.

"You're welcome." Cadence stood up and turned towards Barry, who stood rooted in his spot, staring at them. "Get out of here, get to safety." She turned and started to walk towards Barry, who came back to life with a snarl of rage as she approached him. Glancing over her shoulder, Cadence watched as Iris steadied Eddie against her side and the two started to hurry down the sidewalk, away from the fight. "You don't know what you're doing, Flash!" She called to him.

"I know EXACTLY what I'm doing!" Barry shouted back. "You're getting in my way!"

"You don't want to do this."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?!" Barry's flash-voice roared as he took a step closer to the fire metahuman. Her fingers twitched at her sides as she continued to move closer to Barry, the tips starting to take on an orange-ish red glow that steadily illuminated her face. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ANY OF THIS? You don't understand me either! Y-you're abandoning me, too!"

"You're making a mistake," Cadence called.

" _I'm_ not the one that constantly tries to pass off my son as my little brother. _I'M NOT THE ONE THAT'S MAKING A MISTAKE_! You made a mistake at getting pregnant at sixteen!"

Barry watched as Cadence stopped and stared at him, him having just exposed her secret to everyone back at STAR Labs and whoever was around to hear. He watched with a satisfied smirk as hurt flashed over her face before it was replaced with utmost rage, her eyes turning from its blue-green color to a fiery orange as her arms erupted into flames. She slowly started to walk towards him, her footsteps increasing until she was at a light jog, and then broke out into a sprint as she flew towards him. Barry's smirk widened and he raced back towards her, his speed allowing him to reach her seconds before she did.

The fight was on.

Cadence, engrossed by the knowledge that Barry truly had gone over the edge, that he would never have blurted out her secret like that, fought as hard as she could to try and bring Barry down. Each blast of fire she'd send his way he would quickly dodge out of the way and counter back with a punch towards her. Not that she didn't get a series of hits. As they fought, moving back and forth across the street, it gave her many times of advantage. When Barry backed her up against a wall, Cadence quickly brought her hands back and placed them flat on the wall behind her and lifted her body up, like she was doing a kick-up off of the floor, and launched herself over Barry's head before spinning around and striking him in the chest with an elbow, in the face with a punch, and in the stomach with a flaming hit. The force of the rush of fire that crashed into him sent her skidding back a few feet, her heels placed firmly on the ground.

Barry grunted as he fell to his knees, holding his hands near the smoldering, blackened spot in the middle of his suit. He then lifted his head and stuck Cadence with a malicious stare and raced towards her once more. She teleported out of his way and as he turned back, she grabbed onto his neck with her hand. Flames slowly started to lick down her arm from her shoulder to her fingertips her increasing her body temperature as she did so. She could see each individual bead of sweat pop up onto Barry's face as the heat intensified. Bringing up his hands, he tried to loosen her grip, to no avail.

"It's like I told you the first time, Barry," she growled. "You're never going to be faster than fire." Looking up and quickly dropped her arm, taking a step back. There was a whirling sound and Barry soon found his arms pinned to his sides by two retractable arrows. Barry turned to find the Oliver and Roy standing behind him, both holding onto bows that held the leftover chords from the arrow.

Oliver stared hard at Barry, at the young man that had gone a long way from a kid that believe in the impossible to being the impossible beacon of hope for Central City. With the malice and rage the boy shot towards the Arrow and Arsenal, Oliver knew for sure it wasn't the same Barry he had grown quite found of.

"Calm down," he said to the boy, his voice distorted; deeper and gruffer by his voice filter.

Barry's eyebrow ticked upwards as he flashed a smug smile. Roy, not liking the way he was looking at them, crouched low, bringing his center of balance as low as possible. "Hang on," Barry replied. Bringing his hands up, he grabbed onto what he could reach of the cord and ran as fast as he could, knocking into Cadence as he went. As she was knocked out of the way, the slack in the retractable cords tightened and Oliver and Roy were carried along with Barry. Cadence, who fell by the wayside, had her hand caught in the cords and the three were dragged along by the Flash into the alleyways of Central City.

Coming to a quick stop, Oliver's, Roy's, and Cadence's momentum caused them to continue to slide against the ground before they were jerked to a sudden stop, rolling away.

"That didn't go as well as planned," Roy remarked, quickly getting to his feet.

"What _was_ the plan?" Cadence asked, wiping sweat and blood off her forehead from her previous fight with Barry. "Playing jump rope?"

Ignoring the two of them, Oliver got up onto a crouched knee and shot an arrow behind Barry. The speedy metahuman quickly shifted out of the way and smirked at Oliver when he noticed that the arrow had missed. As Barry continued his path towards him, it was then Oliver's turn to smirk as the arrow that shot into the rock wall behind him exploded, the shockwave sending Barry forward.

Cadence grinned. _Exactly what I need._ Getting to her feet, she leapt high and flipped over Barry, landing near the fire. Holding out her hands, she absorbed the flames that shot sky-high, bringing the power into her body, heating it up even further as she did so. She smiled and the increased source of power and turned around, raising her hands into the sky. A thin vapor filled the alleyway, growing thick by the second, disabling visibility as Barry slowly started to get back up.

Roy wrapped his arm around Cadence's waist before firing a retractable arrow that brought them up onto a rooftop with Oliver crouching down near them. "You _do_ realize that I can teleport, right?" She asked him once they were out of harm's way.

"I know." Roy smiled.

Oliver ignored the two of them as he laced his bow with an arrow emitting a light green glow and aimed it towards Barry. Once he was sure he had the shot, she let go and shot the arrow into Barry's arm. Cadence shifted her hands and the smoke disappeared. The Arrow held a hand out towards Cadence and Arsenal before leaping back down to the ground, coming up behind Barry.

The Flash twisted and turned, frantically clawing at the arrow that poked out of his shoulder. He spun in a few circles, stumbling every few seconds. Cautiously, Oliver approached Barry. "Hose tranquilizer," he declared. "About 2000 mg. It should be hitting you any time now, making you as weak as the other metahumans that you go against." Oliver stopped and stared, lower jaw dropping for a second as he watched Barry rapidly shake.

Fast, faster, faster than a million seizures combined.

"He's wearing out the affects of the tranquilizer," Roy noted. With a curse he directed an arrow down and struck Barry in the foot and arm, but it didn't seem to slow him down. "We're going to have to do this up close." Beside him, Cadence nodded and the two leapt down from the rooftop. Roy hurried forward and tried his hand and fending off the speedy metahuman.

Roy used the narrow space of the alleyway around him to put his parkour/free running skills to use. He managed to side-step a few blows that Barry sent his way via quick flips off of walls and fast punches to his face. However, as quickly as Barry could metabolize, he could heal and as Roy slammed him around, he could come back just as quickly. Finally, Barry gained the upper hand as Roy slammed his bow into Barry's face, allowing the quick metahuman to send a strong punch to Roy's gut, sending him flying backwards into a brick wall.

Barry cast Cadence a dismissive glance then turned towards Oliver, who watched his protégé fall. Sucking in large gasps of air, Barry's body shook and he turned to Oliver, the two staring at each other. Then Barry used his enhanced speed to zip forward and run in a circle around Oliver, transferring the fire that was left over from the arrow explosion into a vortex around Oliver. Around and around they went.

Cadence gritted her teeth and teleported to Barry, knocking him back with a hard punch on the side of her face. With her other hand, she absorbed even more fight into her body, her eyes practically their own light source. She absorbed the fire and sent a wall towards Barry, distracting him long enough so that Oliver could shoot a retractable arrow up into the side of a tall building and start to fly up. As the Flash turned to follow Arrow's path, Cadence sent a stream of smoke into Barry's face, forcing some down into his mouth and throat. As he started to choke, she grabbed onto his arms with flaming hands and concentrated hard, bringing up his body temperature, moving his blood to a boil.

Barry reared his head back and head butted her, causing her to cry out in pain and lose her grip. Healing just as fast as ever, he turned back to Oliver and watched as he flew up into the air. "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!" He roared and raced up the side of the building above Oliver. As Oliver continued his ascent, Barry reached out a foot and kicked him, causing Oliver to loosen his grip and fall back towards the ground.

Reacting quickly, Oliver shot out another arrow to an adjacent building and stopped right before he hit the ground. Barry cracked his knuckles, rolling his head back and forth. "Is that all you got?" He called.

"I'm just getting started," Oliver shot back.

Barry and Oliver raced towards each other and started to send out wild punches and kicks. The two were evenly matched as Barry's speed gave him the upper hand at some points while Oliver's scoping of his enemy and his environment aided him. They spun in circles with high-kicks, low-kicks, jabs, uppercuts, anything that the two would through at each other to fend them off. Oliver managed to fake Barry out at one point and smashed him straight in the face with a hard jab. Stunned for a second, Barry shook his head to get his bearings.

But that just added fuel to the fire for he zipped around Oliver sending punch after punch to each part of his body until he managed a hard hit back at the Arrow, that knocked him to the ground. Swaying, the two got to their feet and regarded each other, breathing heavily. Oliver slowly shook his head as he watched Barry grit his teeth.

"I still believe in you, Barry," he whispered. "I know you're still in there." His eyes shifted and he nodded.

Cadence took the chance, where she had been crouched in a nearby corner, rapidly rubbing her hands back and forth to create enough friction, and sent a stream of fire over to Barry. She screamed with effort, increasing the flames as much as she could, using as much of her energy and her entire being in the stream of fire. As it shot out and crashed into Barry and she continued to hold it, it started to change, turning a darker color until it was blood red.

And it continued to darken still.

She sent out the stream of fire until she couldn't anymore, her arms dropping limply to her sides. Oliver took the chance and aught the punch that Barry shot his way and twisted his arm around and grabbing him about the neck, holding Barry still just as a STAR Labs van came careening around the corner of the alleyway. It shifted to the side, skidding as the side doors opened and a blast of light shot out, causing Oliver to close his eyes and look away.

The lights strobed until Barry closed his eyes and brought his hands up this face. Then the lights stopped and the doors to the van opened. Joe hurried out of the left side of the van, staring at Barry for a moment, before going to the passenger side and opened the door. Reaching in, he lifted Harrison out of the seat, feet dangling towards the ground. He gently set the man, who now wore a satisfied smile on his face, on the ground as he unloaded his wheelchair from the van.

"Glad to have you back with us, Mr. Allen," Harrison said to Barry as he continued to compose himself.

Barry sucked in a few quick breaths and looked around the alleyway as Roy came to, groaning lightly. He then looked at Oliver and stared at him with wide eyes. "Am I hungover?" He asked, almost hopefully. Managing a light laugh, Oliver reached out and placed his hand on Barry's shoulder, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Barry," Oliver replied. "None of this was your fault."

Barry smiled gratefully and turned to Joe and Harrison and gave them small smiles and nods, receiving satisfied smiles back to him as well. Harrison, now placed in his wheelchair, moved closer to Barry, his eyes studying each and every part of him. The electric-blue orbs then flicked over Barry's suit, noticing the damage and his lips curled. "Cisco's not going to be happy," he remarked.

Now back to normal, smile as wide as ever, Barry turned towards Cadence and Roy, the latter who had already gotten back to his feet, and frowned when he spotted Cadence still crouched on her knees, breathing heavily. Her eyes remained unfocused.

"Cade?" He took a step towards her.

Cadence turned her face towards him, her eyes seeming to look right through him. A low moaning sound came out of her mouth before her eyes rolled up and she pitched to the side. She collapsed to the ground and was still for a few seconds before her body started to seize, quacking rapidly.

"Cadence!" Roy cried.

In the moment it took to watch her fall over, Harrison assessed the situation. "The use of her powers has exuded far beyond what she has been used to using. Her internal body temperature has been risen to high, she's seizing. We need to get her back to STAR Labs right now!"

Barry grabbed onto Cadence, lifting her into his arms, and raced her back to STAR Labs causing a commotion as he arrived. Felicity and Caitlin leapt out of their seats once they spotted him. Caitlin gasped loudly and motioned for Barry to take the fire metahuman, who was jerking around even harder, gargling sounds coming out of her mouth, to an examination table.

"Mom?" Brady hurried after them.

"Put her here, hurry!" Caitlin started to take electronic probes and place them along the fire metahuman's exposed skin to get a good reading on her. "Diggle, can you please help me?" Diggle moved to Cadence's head and tried to hold it still as she continued to jerk around. He let out a cry, shifting his hands away. Caitlin noticed the movement. "Her skin's too hot. She's burning up on the inside; we have to cool her down."

"Mom?!" Brady darted around Barry's side and got a good look at his mother. His eyes widened as he watched his mother continue to convulse on the examining table. With a whimper, he walked closer to her. "Mom!" Tears started to flow down his cheeks and he raced to the side of the table. "Mommy! Wake up! Please, wake up!"

"Felicity, get him out of here!" Caitlin barked over to the blonde girl.

"Please!" Brady went over to Barry and tugged on his arm. "Save my mom."

Felicity nodded at Caitlin's order and grabbed onto Brady's arm, pulling him away as the young boy continued to scream and cry for his mother. Caitlin turned her attention back to her friend as she lay on the table, moving as fast as she could to keep her hands from burning. "Don't worry, Cade, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." She had so many reasons for it; because the Metropolis native was a great asset to the team, because Brady didn't deserve to lose his mother so young, because she was a good friend to them all and a great friend to Caitlin, because she was Harrison's daughter and he didn't want him to know what it would be like to lose another person so very important to him. "We need to cool her body down."

"I got it," Barry declared. He zipped through the floor of STAR Labs, finding as many industrial fans as he could, directing them towards her and turning them on. Caitlin waited a few moments then shook her head. "No?" Breathless, Barry looked around, not sure what else they could use. The ice in the refrigerator of the break rooms weren't going to be enough. What else could they use? Then Barry's eyes turned upwards towards the sprinkler system.

As he lowered his head once more, his eyes locked with Diggle's and Caitlin's. Diggle looked over at Caitlin as she chewed her lip, thinking. "I hope Dr. Wells was smart enough to make his equipment water proof."

Barry nodded and sped over to the fire alarm, pulling it hard. It took a few seconds for the sprinklers to go off, sending water cascading down over them. He went back to Cadence's side and watched with baited breath as Caitlin continued to work. Cadence continued to convulse until it slowed down, her heart rate returning to a normal speed on the monitor that was near them.

"Did we do it?" Diggle asked Caitlin.

She shook her head. "We won't know for a while. Not until she wakes up."

Harrison tilted his head to the side as he watched his daughter lay lifeless on the medical examining table. Not lifeless entirely, her heartbeat was still steady, all of her vitals showing her to be healthy. No damage whatsoever. Even more amazing…there didn't appear to be any sort of brain damage that she and the others had been worried about when she first arrived. Not that she could see anyway. But she still hadn't woken up or showed any signs of doing it soon. He wasn't worried.

If she was anything like he thought she was…

Letting out a quiet sigh, Harry brought his hands up to his chin and spoke, "Do you know why we named her Cadence?" He glanced over his shoulder and found Caitlin standing in the doorway behind him. She appeared that she had been about to turn away, to give him some space when he had called out to her.

Now she gave a soft smile as she entered the room, holding onto a cup of coffee. She crossed the room and handed it to Harrison, who took it with a grateful smile. "No." She sat down in a chair next to him. "Why'd you name her that?"

"Cadence; a modulation or inflection of the voice. Or a sequence of notes or chords comprising the close of a musical phrase." Harrison cleared his throat. "As it probably doesn't need to be explained, Tess and I are…or were very much into classical music and music in general." He pulled off his glasses and examined them. "And as such, we found that Tess was pregnant at what appeared to be a close of a career project we were finishing up. It seemed fitting."

Caitlin nodded but didn't say anything else. She just watched Harrison as he continued to watch his daughter. She knew him well enough by that time to see that he was doing his best to keep his composure. He had nearly broken it a few times when he was angry, especially angry after Cisco's cold gun had been stolen. But now…now she could see how worried, upset, and anxious he was about the young woman that lay in front of them. She could see how bad he wanted her to wake up, like any parent would if their child had been injured.

The only difference being she was a metahuman that had a better chance of withstanding anything that would severely maim or injure anyone else. There was an incredibly good chance she would wake up but…

And then a selfish thought flew through Caitlin's head, so selfish that she briefly closed her eyes and turned away. He was a father, she was dating him…they had kissed; they had said how they wanted to try things out. He was a father. How could she do that…how could she get in the way of a father that wanted to connect with his daughter? And yet, Caitlin wanted it so badly, she wanted to know what it was like to be wanted again, to be touched in a way that only intimate lovers did. To be able to know what it was like to fee so much for someone else and it was starting to get that way…

"I implore you not to worry too much about the future, Caitlin," Harrison warned her. Ever able to read her mind. "It is far better to focus on the present and what it sitting at the present." He reached out and took Caitlin's hand, holding onto it tightly, running his thumb across the back. "Not dwelling on what you can't change or on what hasn't happened yet."

 _Do you really believe that?_ Caitlin thought. _That you can really ignore the past and only focus on what's going on in the present? When the past is what makes you so much of who you are right now?_ Caitlin looked right into Harrison's eyes, and then made up her mind. "There's something you should know," Caitlin said slowly. "Going through her readings…I found high levels of dark energy, anti-matter, x-elements nano particles…the same sort of things we find in the metahumans around here."

"I know," Harrison agreed. "She was here, in Central City, when the particle accelerator exploded."

Caitlin's eyes widened. She started to speak but a loud gasping sound caught her attention. Getting to her feet, she watched as Cadence sucked in another sharp gasp of air, eyes wide. They shifted around and when they focused on Caitlin, they relaxed a little.

"Welcome back, Miss. Nash," Harrison said as he smiled down at her.

Picking up a flashlight, Caitlin looked at her eyes then down her throat before clicking off the light. She turned to the monitors that rested beside her and looked through them. Baffled, she turned back to Harrison and Cadence and shrugged. "I…these readings indicate that she's made a full recovery."

"Just as I had hoped," Harrison replied.

Cadence blinked back and forth between the two of them. "Full recovery from what?"

* * *

 

Cadence yawned, stretching her arms over her head and rolled onto her other side, being rewarded with a fist to her face. Groaning she reached out and pushed the first away, sitting up and finding Brady sleeping close to her, his hands curled up into fists by his face. As she pushed his hands away, Brady's eyes immediately opened and he looked up at her.

"Mommy?"

"I'm fine, sweetie." Cadence leaned over and gave him a kiss on the side of the head. "I'm right here. Don't worry." Brady continued to look up at her and she reached out a hand, gently running her fingertips over his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to get something to drink, I'll be right back." Cadence slid out of bed and left the bedroom, going into the kitchen.

Bringing her hair up into a ponytail behind her, she fanned the back of her neck as she went along, hoping it wasn't going to happen again. Harrison and Caitlin had explained to her the best they could about what had happened and she was been absolutely stunned that she had managed to make it out of what had been warned of her through her own medical studies. Everything said that if a human's internal temperature got too high, there would be irreversible brain damage, even death.

But she had managed to get even higher than the highest ever recorded body temperature and make it out okay. Everything she had been afraid of, everything that made her hold herself back was truly something she didn't have to worry about. And still…she didn't ever want to get to that point again, not if she couldn't control it, not if it meant the potential of leaving Brady like that. When she had arrived at Detective West's place—glad to find that he and Brady were the only ones there at the time—he would let her go nor out of his sight if he could help it.

She said he wouldn't allow that to happen again, not after he had been taken and now…

Lowering her head over the sink, Cadence let out a low breath, then turned on the cold water and splashed it over her face. Hearing a knock at the door, Cadence quickly turned off the water and dried herself off before hurrying to the front door. She looked through the peephole for only a moment before opening the door and Barry hurried inside.

"Barry!"

"Cade!"

The two hugged each other tightly for a few long minutes before Cadence let go of him and took a step back. "You're back to normal."

" _You're_ back to normal!" He repeated.

"What happened to you?"

"What happened to _you?_!"

Tired of him repeating her statements, Cadence motioned for him to sit on the couch with her. "Apparently I did the impossible," she remarked. "I…I don't know." She brushed her hair back behind her ears. "My body temperature…my power it got really high, really strong. And…I blacked out. Wells and Caitlin told me that I should've had irreversible brain damage, I should be dead, but I'm not. I don't know what happened. I just kept trying to fight you as hard as I could and my fire turned red and…" she trailed off.

Barry wined as he guessed what it was she was thinking about. "Cade…I'm so sorry for telling everyone your secret like that. If I wasn't under Bivolo's control…I would _never_ have done something like that."

"I know."

He shook his head. No, he shouldn't be forgiven that easily. "I wasn't acting like myself, I…I don't know if I can make up for any of that."

"It doesn't matter, Barry." Cadence shook her head. "You were under control by a metahuman, what you said or did doesn't matter because we all know it wasn't you. Caitlin was the first one to figure it out. She immediately knew that there was something wrong with you after you said those things to her. She was the one that was campaigning to help you." She reached out and squeezed his hand. "And now you're here."

Barry nodded. Yes. Now he was here, back to the way he used to be. But he couldn't stand the thought of getting off scot-free just because of a metahuman. He said and did the things deep, deep down he had wanted to express. It was just the use of a metahuman that gave him the courage and the raw power to do it. And still everyone wanted to help him. He truly did know some of the best people in the world.

"And now you're here," Lucas echoed as he, Leah, and Harley entered the apartment. Barry quickly got to his feet as Cadence stared, her mouth open, eyes wide. Lucas turned to Cadence with a smirk, flicking his hair from his face. "Thanks for leading us to him, Brigade. It's just as we planned. The perfect time to put our plan in motion."

Barry turned to Cadence, who continued to stare at the three metahumans. "Cade?" He prompted.

"Don't be so surprised, Barry," Leah said. "Or should I say, 'Flash'?" Her eyes glowed a bright blue and she turned to Cadence, whose eyes turned the same color. The fire metahuman turned towards Barry and thrust her hand out towards him, catching him around the neck, squeezing hard. Barry struggled to rip her hands off of him, caught in a similar position that he had been in before while under Bivolo's influence.

This time around, he knew what to do and brought up his foot, kicking her in the stomach. She loosened her grip and he backed away. Cadence came back towards him and the two fought for a few moments before Leah laughed, her eyes returning to its normal color, allowing Cadence to fall to her knees on the floor.

"So how does it feel to know that she's been working with the Suicide Squad and the Assassination Bureau the whole time?" Leah asked. She cracked her knuckles before reaching up and smoothing her black/white Mohawk spikes. "The whole. Time." She looked into Barry's face. "The death of the mayor. Watching you. Meeting you in the first place. It was all to get rid of you."

"What?" Barry cried.

"You don't believe me?" Leah waved a hand towards Cadence, who glared at Barry and said, "Capture Barry. Kill Barry. Kill Wells." Leah then lowered her hand and Cadence stumbled forward, holding onto her forehead. "You see? She's been working against you this whole time."

Cadence's eyes slid around the room and her face slowly contorted to that of horror when she took in the smirking faces of the Assassination Bureau and the astounded, betrayed one of Barry's. _He knows. God dammit, he knows._

"How could you?" Barry demanded before she could get the words out of her mouth. "I thought you were my friend."

"I _am_ your friend."

"I trusted you!"

"No!" Cadence shook her head, grabbing onto her forehead. She turned to Barry, who stared at her in disbelief. "I didn't. I didn't know…Barry—"

"This is taking too long!" Harley pouted as she walked into the room, holding onto her mallet. "Let's have some fun!" She brought back her mallet and swung hard, catching Barry before he could move out of the way, rooted in the spot by disbelief. He was swept off his feet and crashed into the wall beside him, immediately falling unconscious. Harley skipped over and picked him up in her arms, gently rocking him back and forth. "Aww, he's like a little baby."

"Barry!" Cadence started forward but was caught by Leah, who grabbed onto her chin, holding her still. The woman's eyes flashed a bright blue and Cadence turned her head away, breaking Leah's hold on her. "No, you're not doing it to me again."

"It's a shame, really," Lucas commented as he stood beside Leah. "Mindboggler really did all she could to keep you under her control. But you did everything we needed to do anyway." His grin was malicious as the meaning of his words crashed upon Cadence.

She had been used—literally—the whole time.

"You—"Lucas swiftly brought his elbow down into Cadence's temple. The blow immediately knocked her out and she went limp in his arms. Turning to Harley, who continued to rock Barry back and forth in her arms, giggling and cooing, he caught her attention with a quick flick of his head.

The three turned and left the apartment.


	27. Betrayed (2)

**.:27:.**

* * *

 

Brady held his hands over his mouth as he heard the commotion from the living room. As soon as the front door to the apartment had opened he woke up, wondering who it was, fear immediately causing him to hover by the doorway of the room. Hearing Barry's voice he relaxed, listening to their conversation, listening carefully just in case. It was when he heard the door to the apartment blast open once more, and then his mother's started voice and he did as he was always instructed to do.

Barricade himself under the bed.

As long as there were pillows and blankets under the bed that hid him from sight, making it appear that the person that slept in the bed consistently dropped their covers and were too lazy to pick them up, he'd be safe. So he sat there, eyes squeezed shut, listening to the sounds of conversation and raised voices. The voices were indistinguishable behind the blankets and pillows lined up around him.

Then everything was quiet.

Brady sucked in a breath and held it as he waited for someone to come to the room. For footsteps to creep closer; looking for him. But the apartment continued to stay quiet. Then he heard the footsteps move to the front of the apartment and he shifted back even further until his feet hit the wall behind him.

Were they coming for him next?

They had to have known he was there. Brady didn't dare move until he was sure whoever was in the apartment was gone. Five minutes going by until he let out his breath, then slowly crawled out from underneath the bed. One he was on his feet, he jammed on his shoes and hurried out to the front of the apartment. The front door was wide open and despite the mark in the wall where Barry's body had collided after Harley's mallet had hit him, there was no other indication there was anyone in the apartment.

"Mom?" Brady asked quietly, just to be sure.

He got no answer in reply and frowned, turning back to his quiet apartment. What was he going to do now? _Get to STAR Labs and tell Dr. Wells._ He went back to the bedroom and flipped the mattress up, taking away a few of the bills that rested on top of the pile, before lowering the mattress once more. He paused, eyebrows furrowing together as realization hit him. They had specifically been targeting Barry and his mother if they hadn't looked for the money.

Brady quickly turned on his heels and blasted out the front door, only coming to a stop when he noticed a tall, dark-skinned man standing at the end of the hallway, staring at him. It appeared that he was waiting for Brady as he slowly pushed himself off of the wall as soon as the young boy came into view. Now, Brady wasn't surprised to find someone strange standing near his apartment, it being in a rundown part of the city had lots of homeless people coming in for shelter when the nights got cold, and he had been warned that there were drug addicts around.

Not that he really understood what that meant.

"Hello?" He called warily.

"Hello," the man replied. Something in his voice was sinister, causing Brady to take a step back. The man smiled at Brady and pushed himself off of the wall. It was then that Brady saw what looked like tiger claws coming off of the man's hands. As soon as he spotted the claws, eyes dropping down to the end then back up to the man's face, Brady pressed his lips together in determination before turning on his heel and running down the hallway.

The man raced along behind him, footsteps echoing loudly through the hallway was they went. Reaching the door at the end of the hall, Brady pushed against the bar that ran horizontally along the face of the door and crouched through the small hole that was made. He screamed as the man behind him let out a snarl and shot down his hand, the claws scraping along the metal. Ducking low as the man reached out to claw him; Brady stuck out a foot and tripped the man before kicking him in the shin so that he fell into the wall opposing him.

"I'm going to get you, you brat!" The man growled, getting up to his knees.

"Not if you can't catch me!" Brady shot back, racing down the stairs as quickly as he could. Rounding the landing of the stairs, he started down another flight when the man leapt from above; landing not he steps in front of him in a couch. "What's your name? What do you want with my Mom?"

"They call me Bronze Tiger," he said. "And she's our ticket to taking over this city." Spinning on his heel, he aimed a kick towards Brady's head but the young boy quickly ducked out of the way. Grabbing onto the railing beside him, Brady brought himself up and swung his feet forward, kicking Bronze Tiger in the side before he dropped back down to his feet and shot his right foot upwards and kicked him between the legs. That didn't appear to have any effect on the tall man for he continued his momentum around. Brady then leaned to the side, grabbing onto to the railing and swung his legs over it, sliding down the rail to the bottom landing as Bronze Tiger swung his arm around and slashed down with his claws. The claws went right through the railing where Brady's head was seconds before he continued sliding down the railing.

Once his feet reached the ground, Brady raced down the rest of the stairs and blasted through the door, out into the alleyway beside him. He ran back down the alley before taking a right turn, running the long way around the run down building next door and heading out onto the street. Trying to catch his breath, he looked back and forth across the street before hurrying across and continuing to run.

He continued to run, breezing through the run down parts of the city, noticing that the buildings continued to increase in quality as he ran through the city until he reached the Central City Plaza. There he skidded to a stop and twisted around in a few circles, frowning. He remembered it for the most part, having gone through there numerous times when walking to and from the workout center that his mother taught Zumba classes in. Still, what was the best option for him to get out of the area if Bronze Tiger were still following him? There wasn't anyone around that was going to help him; no one had even seemed to notice he was out there on his own being chased by a madman.

 _Get to STAR Labs._ Brady raced across the street, ignoring the honking of cars that came from all sides and hurried over to the bus stop when he saw a bus waiting to pick up passengers. Brady quickly climbed onto the bus and fished around in his pocket for some change.

"Does this bus go to STAR Labs?" He asked the driver as she pulled away from the curb.

The bus driver looked at him as if he were crazy. "No buses go to STAR Labs! That place had been condemned ever since the particle accelerator explosion. Why in the world would you want to go there? And why are you out here so late? Don't your parents know where you are?"

"Yes, I'm meeting my Mom there," Brady lied. "Can you take me to the closest bus stop to STAR Labs? Please?"

The bus driver alternatively looked back and forth from the road to Brady before she nodded and motioned for him to take a seat. Brady smiled before dropping down into a window seat and watched as Central City whizzed by. He was so engrossed in watching for Bronze Tiger that he didn't notice the bus driver's eyes steadily on him as she continued along her route and dropped off passengers, picking up others as she went along. Finally, she reached the stop that was the closest to STAR Labs and Brady hurried off before she could stop him.

And as he continued to run down the street, the bus driver pulled away from the curb before taking her walkie-talkie and calling the police.

Brady slowed to a stop outside of STAR Labs, eyes shifting as he tried to remember how to get inside. Most other times his mother would have teleported them inside, once they had followed Barry, but now he wasn't sure. Chewing his lower lip, he slid through a hole in the fence that surrounded the building before walking inside the condemned area. Tilting his head back, he looked up and studied the holes and blast sites that the explosion of the Particle Accelerator had created.

He remembered that day only that he was awakened by a loud explosion sound and scrambled to his knees on the bed, pulling back the curtain and looking out the window. He had watched in awe as the pillar of light shone straight up into the sky, illuminating the area around them. Then there was another loud sound and the lights had suddenly gone off in the apartment simultaneous with a feeling that he had just been punched in the stomach. He was sitting back on the bed when Cadence had come through the door of the bedroom and climbed onto the bed next to him.

"What was that, Momma?" He asked her.

"I have no idea." Kneeling, Cadence looked out the window as well, watching as the light started to fade. Sirens from the city wailed in the distance, some closer than others, coming from the cars that were parked around the apartment. But there hadn't appeared to be any sort of danger coming towards them. "But it was pretty loud, huh?"

"Yeah."

Cadence smiled and rolled off the bed. "Go back to sleep, bud. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay," Brady replied and slid back into the bed, pulling the covers up over his shoulder.

How was he to know that it was what would bring him and his mother into something as big as this. He always knew that his mother was special due to the powers she had, but to know there were others that could do the same, he didn't believe would ever happen. And now here he was, trying to break into STAR Labs so that the Flash could be saved. Brady finally found an open door and slipped inside, making his way to the main floor of the building. He raced into the room, causing Dr. Wells, Caitlin, Diggle, Roy, Felicity, and Oliver to turn towards him, looking at him in confusion.

"Brady, is everything alright?" Caitlin asked.

"They have my Mom!" He blurted out. "And Barry! They broke into my apartment and took them!"

Harrison wheeled towards him, eyes narrowing as he took in the words that Brady had bulleted through the room. His hand clenched tightly on the joystick that propelled his chair forwards, his knuckles turning white, jaw clenching. "Please run that by me again."

"They took them! They took my Mom and Barry! They broke into our apartment and took them and this guy named Bronze Tiger was chasing me and—"Brady cut off as Oliver and Diggle both started, exchanging a glance. Felicity brought her hands up over her mouth, shaking her head, and Roy clenched his hands into fists as his side before crossing his arms. "Are you going to help them?"

"Are you _sure_ it was Bronze Tiger that was chasing you?" Oliver asked in a low voice.

"Yes." Brady nodded earnestly then started to rub his hands. "He had these…things around his fingers that had these, like, claw things on them." He turned back to those that were standing around him. "I think he was waiting for me. Because he wasn't with the others when they were going after Mom and Barry."

"Who took your mother and Barry?" Roy pressed. "Did you see any of them?"

Brady shook his head 'no'. "But I know their voices. One of them was Lucas, he comes around a lot. He has wind powers. And the other was Leah but they call her Mindboggler. And there was one last girl with them. I don't know her name, but she said something about having a mallet."

"Harley Quinn," Oliver murmured.

"She was the one that attacked us while we were at the department store," Caitlin realized. She turned to Harrison, who pressed his lips together, eyes staring straight at Brady. Caitlin's eyes lowered for a moment then widened as she brought her hands up and grabbed onto Harrison's arm, a second before she pulled them back. Her touch got his attention and he turned towards her. "What if they got Cisco? We haven't seen him in a while; he hasn't been returning my calls. What if they used him to figure out Barry's identity and went after him that way."

"That truly is plausible," Harrison replied. "In fact, it's downright brilliant if I do say so myself. Scoping out those who seem to know a lot about the Flash; what he is and who he surrounds himself with to capture those nearest to them."

"So does that mean that the rest of us are going to be captured too?" Felicity asked. Bringing her hands down from her mouth, she crossed them. "They had to have gone after Cisco for a reason and it can't be that hard to get to the Arrow after the Flash." She paused. "Unless that was the plan in the first place. To bring the Arrow to Central City to get rid of him and the Flash at the same time."

"Well that's not going to happen," Oliver declared. "We've gone up against them before and we stopped them then and we'll stop them now." He turned away for a moment. "Barry stood up for me when Dr. Wells and Detective West both had nothing but negative things to say about me. He's the one that's bringing nothing but hope and inspiration to this city, something that I can only hope I'd be able to do in Starling. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try my hardest to get him and Cadence out of there."

Diggle nodded in agreement. "The Suicide Squad…I know how they operate," he explained. "They purposefully left many things open so that we'd be drawn to them. So they'd have an easier time to capture us and get us out of the way before trying to do whatever it is they want with Central City. All we have to do is figure out where in they're base they're keeping Barry, Cisco, and Cadence…they're bound to make a mistake somewhere."

"If that's the case then why are they hiding?" Roy questioned. "If they left so many clues, if they _want_ us to get to them, why hide? Why not just _tell_ us where they are to go straight to them?" When all eyes turned to him he waved a hand. "Not that things are ever that easy, but I can't be the only one thinking it."

Caitlin practically flew from her chair. She went over to Brady and grabbed onto his shoulders, kneeling in front of him as she gazed at him seriously. "Do you know where they took them?"

"Yes." Brady nodded. "I know where they are."

"Roy, suit up," Oliver stated. "Dig, come up with a plan for the Suicide Squad; they have to be guarding wherever place they've staked out and you have the expertise that'll help us on that front. The Assassination Bureau isn't something we've handled before, but if they're metahumans like Barry and Cadence, then we need to have as much of an advantage as we can."

"That's where we come in," Caitlin said, motioning to the computers that sat in front of her and Harrison, who was already scanning the computer. "Everything we know about metahumans should be in our database. If there's anything that the so-called Assassination Bureau has done before, it should come up at some point." Brady went over to her and pulled himself into the seat that was usually occupied by Cisco. "Is there anything else you can tell me about Lucas or Leah? Do you remember what they look like? Maybe the facial recognition software will bring something up."

"There aren't any cameras near our apartment, but Lucas has short blonde hair, bright blue eyes, a mustache and beard, a scar in his eyebrow…probably a bit older than my Mom?" He scratched the back of his head. "I don't…I've only seen him a few times."

"What about Leah?"

"I only saw her when I was taken by Michael Bloom. He didn't look like he wanted to do what he was doing, but she did something with her eyes…and then he did it anyway." Brady frowned as he leaned towards the screen that sat in front of him, skimming through faces of known criminals. His mother had saved him so many times before; he was going to do his best to save her this time.

"Do you have any ideas of what we could be looking for?" Felicity asked. "There's so many ways I can go with this research that for the first time in my life, I don't know where to start."

Brady flipped his hair out of his face and frowned as faces continued to flash by. None of them he recognized. Which was frustrating. He had been able to fend off a guy that had claws hanging off the front of his hands fighting as hard as he could, and now he was stuck in a computer room looking at faces of people who may or may not be the ones that had waged a war against his friends.

All of a sudden, he spotted a familiar face and reached out, and jabbed his finger into the computer screen. "That's him! That's Lucas!" He declared.

Caitlin brought up the photo and ran it through the facial recognition software as Felicity hurried over to see the picture himself. "Nice job, Brady," Caitlin said and the young boy smile and gave her a high-five. "Now that we have this, we can figure out past arrests, what a motive might be."

"Where Dr. Wells has gone?" Felicity interrupted.

Brady and Caitlin both turned around to see that in the haste for Oliver and Roy to get dressed, Diggle to scan and locate the Suicide Squad, and for the three of them to determine the identities of those that had broken into Brady's and Cadence's apartment, they hadn't noticed that Dr. Wells had left the room, wheelchair and all.

"Dr. Wells?" Caitlin called.

* * *

 

"C'mon Cisco, wake up."

Cisco turned his head to the side, eyes fluttering open. It took a long time for his eyes to adjust to the light and when they did, he found that he was inside a cell, not much different than those in the pipeline. Though he knew he wasn't going to receive the same sort of treatment the metahumans in the particle accelerator cells would.

"You're not hurt, c'mon, get up."

Groaning, Cisco pushed himself up from the ground and moved his hair back from his face. Turning to the side, he saw Bette kneeling next to him, a peaceful look on her face as she watched him. His eyes narrowed as everything came rushing back to him and he brought his fingertips up to his forehead, wincing as he felt a sharp sting in reply. Bette's eyes moved to the wound on his forehead and she made a light 'tsk' sound, though didn't move to help him. Finally, Cisco sat up and backed away from Bette until his back hit a wall.

He didn't have to move far. The cell was nearly as small as his closet back home, with only a little more space width-wise. There was a light draft that chilled him through his jeans and light t-shirt, causing him to rub his arms, wincing once more when he realized he had other scratches lining his body. Lifting his eyes, he watched Bette warily as she slowly stood up, crossing her arms, eyes still on him.

"Please tell me that you have a second life as a dominatrix and that you captured me as your love slave rather than what I think actually happened," Cisco murmured. Bette smiled but didn't respond. He couldn't help it, he had to deal with this with humor; it was the only thing that would help him wrap his mind around it.

To wrap his mind around the fact that Bette was nothing but a traitor to him and those at STAR Labs. Not only had they done their best to treat her like an actual person, to show her there were many others that weren't like General Eiling who wanted nothing but her best interest at heart. And she had worked alongside Barry and Cadence, allowing herself to be tested and to see what levels her powers were at, bonding with the metahumans, himself, and Caitlin. And now here he was, sitting on the floor of a cell after being attacked by someone she was clearly working with.

"I wish I could," Bette said simply. "I'm sorry."

"I don't believe you." Cisco glared up at her, his heart hammering against his chest for more reasons than one. "I don't believe that you're sorry. You made the decision to do…whatever it is that you're doing."

"If you knew the reason why—"

"—I don't give a damn!" Cisco continued to hold her gaze as she shifted her weight to her other foot, appearing uncomfortable. "I don't care what reason you had to do something like this to us. To me! And Barry! And Caitlin! And Dr. Wells! We tried to help you, to keep General Eiling from getting to you. When we thought you were d….when we thought you had died…"

It was a struggle to get the word out, to relive the experience of her demise. He truly thought she had become a bomb and detonated, that she hadn't had a choice but to end her life that way. He should've known there were other aspects to her abilities they hadn't known about. She could turn anything into a bomb when he touched it. He should've known she would've been able to withstand an accidental explosion to herself, that she was impervious if not simply incredibly durable.

"We _mourned_ you when we thought we had lost you…and now you're doing this."

He briefly closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, remembering how it felt when he had all of the air taken out of his lungs by that blond man that had been with her. How his hands frankly went to his neck to try and pry away the invisible hands that were choking him, making the scratches on his neck that continued to sting. The man had glared at him fiercely as he continued to suck out all of the air in his lungs before everything went black.

"Who was that guy you were with?"

"His name is Lucas," Bette replied.

"And he's a metahuman."

"He has the ability of weather manipulation, mostly over air and wind."

"What does he want?

Bette shook her head and placed her gloved hands on her hips. "I can't answer that question, Cisco." She motioned to the tray that was sitting on the ground next to her. "I only came to bring you some food. They weren't even going to give you that, but you've been here for a few days now and you haven't eaten. They can't risk it."

"No thanks," Cisco said stubbornly.

"You're hungry, I know you are," Bette insisted. Cisco turned his head away. Bette walked closer to him and brushed his hair back out of his face, causing Cisco to flinch before remembering that she made sure to cover her hands. How ironic would it be that his death would be because his head blew up?

 _I already got the wind, literally knocked out of me. How much could my head exploding hurt?_ He thought, flinching ever so slightly as she removed her hand, her gloved fingertips moving across his forehead.

"I'll bring you water next time."

With that, Bette turned on her heel and left Cisco's cell, being careful to lock it before walking away, her footsteps fading.

Cisco sat still for a few minutes before reaching out and dragging the tray closer to him. He inspected the food, mouth watering as the familiar scent of steak and mashed potatoes filled his nose. And with grudging relief, Cisco started to eat as he tried to think of a way to get a message back to STAR Labs.

* * *

 

"You better fucking let me out of here! I swear to GOD!" Cadence let out cries of fury as she smashed her fists against the bars in front of her face. Over and over she slammed her flaming fists into the metal, hoping to see it bend, give, or even start to melt, but they stood firm.

Undaunted, Cadence took a deep breath and focused on her power, causing the flames that surrounded her hands to increase in size, then punched as hard as she could. Still nothing. Falling to her knees, Cadence tried to catch her breath. In the cell across from her, she could see Barry sitting with his back against the wall, having not moved from that position since the two had woken up in captivity. It couldn't have been more than a few hours they were gone. Still, it didn't appear they were going to be taken out anytime soon.

Not even teleporting was working. They had to have done something that was blocking her ability to get from the room. Each time she tried she felt a jolt strong enough to send her flying to the ground. It was a tough pill to swallow, having her worst fears confirmed, that she had been doing all of this just to be double-crossed at the last minute.

Falling to her knees, giving herself a break, Cadence peered across the hallway to the cell that opposed hers. "Barry?" She called, voice echoing over the cobblestone and concrete walls around them. "Barry, are you okay?"

She hadn't expected him to answer; he hadn't said a thing ever since he woke up. He continued to sit in his cell, longs legs brought up so that his arms were resting on his knees, staring at the wall ahead of him. Even his breaths were quiet, so much so that Cadence had to strain to be sure he was still alive.

"Look, I know you're mad at me," she said.

As her voice echoed back at her, Cadence became very aware of how…sad and defeated she sounded. Becoming friends with Barry and then becoming friends with Caitlin and Cisco through him had made her the happiest she felt in a long time. She had even started to act like she used to, open and bubbly, before she had been kicked out. But as the pressure of working for both sides continued to rain on her, she found herself shutting down. Barry's friendship had turned that all around.

"But you need to know how much your friendship means to me and how I didn't mean for any of this to happen," Cadence continued. Barry sniffed but didn't say anything. "I was roped into working for them when I had no money. I was going to school and taking care of Brady and had no idea how I was going to get his school supplies or food that would last us for more than two weeks. And I did whatever I could for that money when they approached me to help them with one little task." She held her breath, waiting for Barry to say something, but he turned away from her. "All I had to do was make a diversion, talk to a security guard as they robbed a place. I felt terribly afterwards, but then Leah…Mindboggler had used her powers on me to forget that, and to talk me into doing it again and again. After a while, I wasn't on my own free will, but the money…"

She pressed her lips together, and bowed her head, her hair falling in front of her face. She took in a short, shaky breath, feeling a hard lump appear in her throat. It hit her then. Everything she had been worried about, everything she hadn't wanted to happen crashed upon her.

"I never lied to you," Cadence said quietly. "Everything I said to you was the truth. That day that we were playing tag…" She watched as Barry twitched his head towards her, stopping himself form meeting her gaze at the last second. "That day I was going to tell you what was going on, to see if you could help me. Just like the way you guys helped Bette. But then you saw what happened to her…I couldn't risk that. Not if Brady was going to end up alone. The things we talked about that day…how you understood what it was like to hide in plain sight; that you didn't really feel like yourself when you have to keep things a secret, to keep our powers out of sight. You said that you didn't know how you could be with someone that you weren't completely honest with, I was honest with you. I told you about my powers, about Brady, about my life back in Metropolis, what I've run from. And you understood that."

Now Barry finally spoke, but it wasn't with the words of encouragement, the warm words showing he forgave her that she had hoped her. "And instead you threw that all away. If what you said is true about wanting to tell me, there have been plenty other times you could have. Instead, you had us running around, trying to figure things out like we were idiots!" He slapped the palms of his hands against the stone ground, causing Cadence to jump.

Finally he turned and glared at her with so much ferocity it was as if he had her power and was burning her alive. She could practically feel the flames licking at her heels. "I can't believe you did this, I thought you were my friend!" Barry hurtled towards her.

"I _am_ your friend, Barry!" She was desperate, as the quiver in her voice betrayed. "I know I haven't known you long, but you're the best friend I've had in a while. You know me a lot better than other people I used to know."

"And you tried to get me killed!" Barry glared at her, eyes flashing with more emotion she had seen. What hurt worse was knowing everything he was saying was really, truly how he felt and not from the effects of a whammy a metahuman had placed upon him. "I heard you say it! You wanted to kill _me_ and _Wells._ And all we've done is try to help you. Caitlin and Cisco, they didn't even know if they should trust you, if they should make you a suit, but Dr. Wells defended you. Do you understand what you've done? Do you know how many _lives_ you put in danger? I would never do what you did, Cadence. Never in a million years."

"Barry, please—"

"I don't care!" He yelled. He lowered his head, tightening his grip on the bars in front of him. As he continued to speak, he spoke to the floor, each word increasing the venom in his tone. "I don't. Because the point of having these powers, to be able to do this, is to help people. I would put my life in the line of fire before anyone else. This city is filled with people I need to help and to protect. And I thought you were helping me, that I had someone who finally understood what it was like to be a metahuman and how hard it is to keep it a secret. But to know you were working against me this whole time…"

Cadence gritted her teeth together, feeling tears come to her eyes. He was right. She knew he was right. Everything he was saying to her she had known was coming at one point or another. But he wasn't even _trying_ to understand. He wasn't the only one that felt betrayed at the moment; she had been used and thrown away at the first moment of convenience and then had everything thrown into her face. If he was in her position, he probably would've done the same.

It was all wishful thinking, things were they way they were because of decisions she had made and not having the foresight to get out of it earlier.

"I didn't know that they were trying to kill you," she explained as calmly as possible. "I didn't know anything they were going to do because I was being controlled. By Leah. Her codename is Mindboggler; she has the power of mind control. She can put illusions into people's heads and control them to do whatever she wanted them to do. She could make me forget some things I've done or force me to remember." She shook her head. "I didn't know what I was doing."

"You could've stopped," Barry reminded her.

"I could see myself doing these things; kidnapping, making people 'disappear', the mayor…I was aware of it on a conscious level. But deep down inside, I couldn't figure out why. I had no feelings of wanting to kill people or wanting to hurt them, but there was part of me that kept saying to do it. Taunting me. Leah was doing it, under the orders of Breathtaker. They needed a scapegoat if they ever got caught. She controlled me like she controlled Michael Bloom to kidnap Brady, to blackmail me into doing it. Everything I was doing was to make sure he was safe." Cadence's hands shook as she stared at Barry, willing him to look at her. "I was a pawn in this, too."

"And you got used just like I did." Barry's voice was cold as he turned away. "Congratulations."

Cadence dropped her hands from the bars and backed up until she reached the wall behind her. Tilting her head back, she stared at the ceiling above her. She was going to find a way to fix this and get them both out.

Even if it killed her.

She owed him that much for all of the help he had given her.


	28. It's All Over (3)

**.:28:.**

* * *

Harrison calmly pressed his thumb against the joystick that propelled his wheelchair forward and allowed himself to slowly creep in through the opening of the warehouse. He knew it would be easy. The hard part was what he was going to do if his plan didn't work out. So far only a few of his plans hadn't worked the way he expected them to, a few that caused him so much heartache and pain over the years. With his ability to

But now he was going to get redemption. It was hard for anyone to pull one over on him. With his ability to see into the future as well as into the 'past' it was hard for anything to come up that he wasn't anticipating in some aspect. This, however, was not something he had totally seen coming. The Assassination Bureau and Suicide Squad were the last people he would've thought that would be working together. Those in the Suicide Squad were hardened criminals that were able to do whatever they needed to reduce the sentences on their future prison life and wouldn't let anyone stand in their way, let alone the authorities.

The Assassination Bureau was an entirely new entity. They were metahumans he had never come across before, never thought of. They hadn't shown up in any of his research at STAR Labs. Most of the other metahumans he and those at STAR Labs had come across had gone straight for him and STAR Labs, had been after Barry, or else Barry had stumbled across them. These people…these groups of metahumans had done their best to exact their revenge on him and his work, others using their powers for their own means. He should've known there was going to be many others that would come into their powers later, known there were going to be many others that would come after him once it was known he was the one that had caused al of Central City to fall under the attacks that came after. The deaths, the injuries, the unexplained…

Well, now he was going to make sure that his name was no longer dragged into the mud. He was going to stop the next attack before it could even start.

Harrison continued to roll through the winding hallways in front of him, knowing Barry and Cadence were somewhere inside. They needed to be taken out, things weren't supposed to be going like this. The Flash had a future that he needed to be sure happened the way it was supposed to happen. And he couldn't allow either of them to get hurt, let alone the Flash. If anything happened to the Flash, there would be so much more than a tragedy on his hands.

So much more than anyone would know.

And while that was important, it wasn't as important as the others. Barry and Caitlin and Cisco and Cadence and Brady. He had to protect them at all costs as they were the only ones that understood hi and what he stood for. They stuck by his side when the Particle Accelerator blew, trust him with everything he said and suggested, and were loyal to his cause. If he didn't have them, he didn't have anything. As much as he was surprised for it to happen, those that worked at STAR Labs, or Team Flash as Cisco had gotten to calling them, had become his family.

And whenever someone threatened his family, he was going to do everything to protect them.

 _Even if you have to do that protecting for them while they're not present._ Harrison couldn't help but have his mind wander to Tess, wondering what she would've said about what he was doing. What she would've done to help Barry after he was struck by that lighting, what she would've thought about Caitlin and Cisco, how she would've felt when she saw that Cadence had arrived with her grandson in tow. Wondered what she would've thought about everything STAR Labs related as it took off and soared before falling to its unfortunate demise.

He knew she would've been there right beside him with every fiber of her being, helping him build it once more from the ground up and giving insurmountable support when the media and all of Central City turned against him.

She would be there for him, just like he knew she was there for him now.

Harrison wheeled through the dark opening towards the back of the building, coming into a large, brightly lit area. As he arrived, he found those that were in the room appeared startled to find them there. He recognized those from the Suicide Squad; Bronze Tiger, who had a fierce glare on his face, Shrapnel, and Captain Boomerang as well as Bette, Leah, and a man that he didn't recognize, who all smirked at him as he entered the room.

 _So it appears that the Assassination Bureau are the ones in control here,_ Harrison thought as he came to a stop in the center of the room. He crossed his arms, allowing his hands to fall together as the Assassination Bureau and Suicide Squad all pushed themselves off of the walls and headed towards him.

This wasn't what was supposed to happen; they were to wait for Breathtaker to make his remarks to the city and for Harley, Deadshot, and Stratos to start their reign of terror over Central City and the rest were to bring in Cisco, Barry, and Cadence and use them to lure in Dr. Wells so they could do what they needed to do. Now he had brought himself into the building and was smiling at them.

What was going on?

"I heard you've been looking for me," Harrison commented. He reached up and pulled off his glasses, carefully placing them in a mesh pocket on the side of his wheelchair. He then reached out, grasping onto the arms of his seat and slowly pulled himself up to his full height, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I'm Harrison Wells."

His hands vibrated so quickly they started to blur.

* * *

Breathtaker took in the city from the rooftop of STAR Labs. Hands tucked tightly underneath his cloak, he watched as the city continued to hustle and bustle beneath him and his co-workers. Standing by his side, waiting for the chance to strike were Harley, Deadshot, and Stratos. Deadshot stood with one foot resting on the edge of the rooftop, smoking a cigarette. Every few seconds he would take the item from his mouth and let out a low breath, watching as the smoke slid through the air, disappearing into the calm atmosphere of the city.

Too bad that calm was going to be shattered. Lifting his hands high over his head, Breathtaker slowly breathed out and a large, green cloud started to spread out over the city in front of them. And as the four of them watched, those that fell under the cloud slowly stopped and turned towards him, under his trance. Breathtaker took in a deep breath and continued to let out a stream of green haze. It increased in size and stretched as far as he could see. More and more people turned and stared their way; others starting to come out of their shops, stuck under the trance as well.

"Oh look," Harley said with a light giggle. She twisted the massive piece of arsenal in her hands, almost stroking it lovingly. "The Central City Police are here." Resting the .50 caliber M2 machine gun down, she placed her hands on her hips, cocking her head to the side as she looked down at the police officers. "Ooh, that one's handsome!" She declared, pointing as Detective Eddie Thawne and Detective Joe West arrived on the scene, holding their arms up over their faces. It appeared to battle well against the fates of those around them. "When we're done here, give me some time with the blondie! I'll show him what the dark side is really like."

The corner of Stratos's lips curled up as he watched the city below. "I thought you and Joker were in on something."

Harley paused for a moment then gasped loudly, bringing her hand up to her mouth. "Oh! You're right! I hope my puddin' doesn't hear about this." Then a crazed smile came to her face and she picked p the machine gun once more, aiming it down on the city. "Oh well! The Black Widow always has to lure in her pray!"

Deadshot grinned over at her before stepping up to the scope on his sniper, angling it below. "That's what I'm talking about," he murmured. He pressed his un-patched eye to the scope and waited for the signal.

"Citizens of Central City!" Breathtaker shouted, his voice echoing over the area below him. "The time has come to show you of our existence. To show you that humans and metahumans alike have been living together in Central City since the explosion of the Particle Accelerator. The explosion that has decimated so many lives of those in STAR Labs and of the surrounding city, of those that died in the surrounding explosion of energy, those that were injured, disfigured, whose lives shall never be the same. And it's all thanks to one Harrison Wells."

He waited for a moment, watching as he entrapped the attention of everyone around him. A low murmur moved through the crowd at his feet. He was sure that his face—or lack thereof—was already being broadcasted amongst the televisions and radio waves through Central City. Everything was going according to plan so far.

"And it is because of Dr. Harrison Wells that your city is doomed. Doomed to fall beneath our rule, beneath the metahumans. So far we've taken down your mayor, and have captured who you so lovingly call The Streak. There is no one to save you and it is all the fault of the man that owns and operates STAR Labs. He's the one that's done this to you and shall be the one to blame when you are all massacred. Because none of you can stop us metahumans, your precious police department is no match to the powers and abilities we all have. But there is one way to stop it, the capture and death of the one that has done this to you. And until you bring him to me, you will all die, one by one.

"I want to make this city a place where the metahumans can live together in harmony; it was the man that foolishly believed us needing to be taken away that has caused all of this to happen!" Breathtaker lifted his hands into the air. "Go! Find him!"

He turned to Stratos, Harley, and Deadshot and nodded firmly, taking a step back from the edge of the roof. He watched as the green mist came back towards him and closed his eyes, tilting his head back. As the haze washed over him, he felt himself growing stronger by the second. Those stupid humans, no matter what they weren't going to stop him and his Assassination Bureau. Not when he was able to steal their energy as they were working for him.

Central City was going to be theirs.

It was time.

Deadshot grinned and moved his hands to the sniper, looked through the scope at the people below that immediately started to panic once Breathtaker stopped speaking. He fired a shot and grinned, watching as the head of a taxi man, standing by his car, exploded as a single round shot through his forehead. Blood and gore splattered around the man's fallen body, triggering even louder screams and panic.

Stratos sucked in a deep breath before bringing his hands up. The wind picked up and storm clouds rolled in, bringing in thunder and an ominous feeling. With a cry of effort, Stratos brought his arm down and a bolt of lightning light up the clouds before shooting towards the ground, striking whatever was in near distance. He grinned as those that were on the ground nearest to the blast were knocked off their feet and launched into the air.

Harley giggled maniacally as she skipped back and forth across the rooftop, spraying bullets from her machine gun as she went. Whenever she would hit someone, it caused the octaves of her laughter to increase until her laughter was all that could be heard over the sound of the bullets flying off the roof before intermingling with the screams below.

And in the fray, Joe West was at a loss.

If the Flash truly was being held captive as Breathtaker said he was, he didn't know what to do to in a city filled with potential metahumans.

* * *

Roy lifted his hood over his head and turned to Oliver, who already shot his arm outward and brought it back to click his bow open. The red hooded vigilante did the same and the two turned on their heels and started to leave STAR Labs.

"You're not seriously going out there," Felicity called after them, grabbing their attention. "You don't know what you're up against. This isn't the normal people that we've fought, they had guns and knives and _normal_ weapons! These people all have powers that we don't know how to stop."

"We don't have a choice, Felicity," Roy pointed out. "We have to do something to save the City. The point of coming out here was to stop the Suicide Squad and if we _don't_ do anything right now, all these people are going to die." _And we don't know what's going to happen with Cade and Barry._ His hand tightened around his bow at the thought. The thought of something happening to them, leaving Central City with nothing to save them was hard to think about. It wasn't just Central City that was getting better from the appearance of the two metahumans, but it was doing something for them too. He knew it, that's how he felt every day he was helping Starling City, like he finally had a purpose. He had a future other than sitting around and wondering if one day he would ever be able to leave the Glades.

If anything ever happened to them, he didn't know what would happen to the city, to STAR Labs…

"But without Barry or Cadence, you don't stand a chance," Caitlin agreed. She turned to Brady, who had his chin in his hands, staring hard at the computer screen in front of him, watching the broadcast that panned across Harley, Breathtaker, and Deadshot. He frowned, leaning close to the screen as he tried to decipher the last figure on the rooftop. "With the combination of the powers that could be represented out there…" she gently shook her head, bringing her hands up to her forehead. "We don't know how many other metahumans are out there that might join them right now. We don't even have an idea of how many metahuman there are in Central City _alone_ you can't stop them!"

"We can stop them if we give them Harrison," Diggle pointed out. He continued to watch the screen along with Brady before reaching out and pressing a bunch of buttons along the screen of the computer. It took him a few minutes to hack into the A.R.G.U.S. system and start hacking into their detection software. "Judging by what Breathtaker's declaration, they really only want to use him as a means to turn the city against him, to take over the city themselves."

"And you think giving them Dr. Wells is just going to fix that?" Caitlin snapped.

Diggle looked at her for a long moment, as if being able to see right through her. Roy managed a small smile as he recognized Caitlin's worry to be on the same level of Felicity's. It was funny to see how similarly they ran things in Central City to Starling, with the personnel working there to be similar to his own friends. He understood her worry, if they turned over Dr. Wells they wouldn't hesitate to kill him and probably kill the rest of them as well. They hadn't ever dealt with anyone like the Assassination Bureau before. Even if they managed to track Barry and Cadence down, they were still going to be grossly outnumbered and more than likely outmatched.

"We're not going to _give_ them Dr. Wells," Oliver said loudly, silencing the room. "We're going to use him to trade for Barry and once we get him, we'll figure out a way to save Dr. Wells." Oliver took a deep breath. "I may not agree with some of what goes on around here in Central City, but I agree with everything that Barry stands for. He defended me once before and would have done anything to prove what he sees in me and I'm going to do the same for him."

Roy looked over at him as he trailed off his sentence, noticing whom he hadn't mentioned. He glanced back at Brady, who turned towards Oliver with a harsh frown that made him wonder how he hadn't noticed the resemblance between him and Cadence before. Knowing he was her son…it had thrown him off a bit, but did understand why she did what she did. She was trying to protect him from whatever could come their way that would threaten their well-being, just like he had done when he was trying to take care of his mother before her passing. He didn't tell her about how he had dropped out of college, how he had started to deal, to do odd-jobs so that he could take care of her and take care of her medical bills. He wanted to protect her as much as he could before she couldn't hold on much longer.

He understood completely.

"What about my Mom?" Brady demanded.

Oliver paused and started to turn away. Roy took a step forward, tightening his grip on his bow. "Oliver," Roy called after him. "What about Cadence?"

Head hanging, Oliver turned back to the group. He was silent for a long time as the others looked back at him, waiting to hear what his response was going to be. Felicity slowly stood up from her seat and crossed her arms, moving to stand at Caitlin's side. One he noticed that he had all of his friends against him, Oliver brought up his hands in an exasperated fashion before slapping them back down to his sides.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But she's been working against all of you. Diggle and I…we heard the name Brigade mentioned, I asked about it and _you_ said that it was a nickname that Cadence has! I already had my suspicions but it just proved that she's working with them! I'm sorry!"

"You're wrong!" Brady declared. Oliver took a step back but "My Mom wouldn't do that! Not after what's happened. And even if she did, she didn't have a choice. I heard Leah tell Barry that she was being mind controlled while it happened and my Mom said it too. And I believe my Mom!" He turned and pointed to the computer screen. "That's Lucas right there, if you're going to go after anyone as leverage against these guys, it's him! Out of them all, he was the one I saw a lot." Puffing up his chest, Brady jabbed his index finger against himself. "Now, I know where they are and if you're not going to help me, I'll get there myself!"

Roy turned back to Oliver, who looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. Having worked with the Arrow for so long, Roy thought he knew a lot about the man that worked as his mentor and could see in his face that Oliver was torn between two options. He really didn't want to bring Brady with him or put him in danger, despite having just been told off by the boy, he was still a kid and didn't want to put him in any danger. On the other hand, if he was telling the truth about knowing where the others were being held, he didn't have a choice but to bring him along.

Licking his lips, Roy stepped forward, deciding to take up the lead. He first turned to Brady, "We're not going to leave your Mom behind, we're going to get her out to." Out of the corner of his eye, Roy could see Oliver staring hard at him, but made sure he didn't catch the older man's eye. "Oliver and I will go onto the roof and take care of Lucas. If we can get him and use him as leverage, we may not have to use Dr. Wells."

"Where _is_ Dr. Wells?" Felicity asked, grabbing their attention once more. "I mean, he's in a wheelchair for God's sake, he can't get that far." She brought her hand up to her forehead. "Not that I'm saying that he falls under the gimp stereotype and not that I'm calling him a gimp—"

"Felicity, we don't have time for your repeated apologies," Oliver cut her off. "We know what you mean."

"And once we have him, following Brady's lead, we'll get to Barry and Cadence," Roy continued, as if no one had interrupted him. "Diggle, please do what you can to track what's going on wherever the rest of the Suicide Squad is. If you feel that we need to move in, let us know and we'll go. Felicity, see if you can track down where Dr. Wells is, if Breathtaker can manipulate these people the way I think they can, then it's not going to be much longer until they come in here. Caitlin and Brady, you guys stay out of sight and out of trouble until we come back here. If anyone breaks in here, you all need to get out of here and follow Brady to where they're keeping the others. Oliver and I will get there when we can."

He turned back to the Arrow—who gazed at him with respect—and brought his mask up over his face before hurrying by him. Oliver brought up his hood and the two made their way up through STAR Labs and to the roof. Once there, Roy pressed his back against the wall and angled his body around the building. He grimaced, upper lip curling and stomach churning as he heard Harley's continued giggles. It stopped all of a sudden as she let out a light gasp.

"Oh, I broke a nail," she complained.

Roy continued to peer over and watched as Harley made a show of examining her nail, holding it out in front of her while holding up the machine gun with her other hand and continuing to fire it. Behind him, Oliver nudged Roy on the back and Arsenal turned around and glanced at him. He tilted his head, pointing it towards the incline in the roof above them and nodded. Roy nodded back and the two made sure they were still out of sight before stringing an arrow in their bows and using it to repel themselves up onto the roof. Blocking out the sounds of the chaos below, Roy pressed his back against the incline and watched as Deadshot, Harley, and Stratos continued to attack those below.

 _I guess Breathtaker went back to where the others are,_ Roy thought as he looked around. He studied Deadshot and Stratos for a minute. Harley wasn't going to be too hard to combat with, having had done it in the department store. Deadshot would be difficult, he was trained in martial arts as well as being an excellent marksman and he had never seen what metahumans could do other than Barry. Seeing this guy able to create thunderbolts and wind vortexes was amazing.

Lifting another bow out of his quiver, laced the bow, and shot the arrow right at Stratos while Oliver shot another one towards Deadshot. Much like when he had first met Cadence—and the irony was not lost on him—his arrow struck Stratos directly in the shoulder, causing him to scream in pain and whip around towards Oliver as he launched himself down the incline, sliding on his side.

Oliver's arrow struck the ground by Deadshot's feet and exploded sending the man flying and the sniper to fall to the side. With a snarl, he turned back towards the Arrow as Oliver leapt himself off the incline towards him. Harley lowered her hand and scowled.

"Hey!" She cried. "That's not fair!" Dropping the machine gun she hurried to the side of the roof and picked up her massive mallet, running after Oliver.

Roy ducked out of the way as Stratos shot a gust of wind at him and he did a standing front flip over the weather metahuman, and spun around on the ball of his left foot, hitting Stratos in the arm. Before Roy could strike again, the metahuman shot out a hand and the Red Arrow felt himself get lifted off his feet by a hard push against his stomach. He landed on his back and skidded towards the edge of the roof, sliding off the side.

Snapping his hand up, Roy grabbed onto the gutter, wrenching himself to a stop. He brought up his other hand, moving his bow to his mouth, gripping it with his teeth, and started to pull himself back up once more. He let out a cry of pain as Stratos appeared above him and stepped on his hand, causing him to instinctively pull his hand out of the way, leaving him dangling.

Tilting his head back, Roy watched as Stratos lifted his uninjured hand high into the air, watching as lightning collected in the clouds above him, accompanied by an ominous rolling of thunder. Roy gritted his teeth around his bow and swung himself up, grabbing onto the gutter once more. All of a sudden there was a bright flash of light, intense heat, and an almighty roar.

Closing his eyes, Roy grabbed his bow from his mouth, swung it around Stratos' legs and pulled as hard as he could. He heard Stratos' cry of surprise before feeling his weight shift above him. Roy opened his eyes in time to see the bolt of lightning strike where Stratos had just been standing, the force of impact knocking Stratos and Roy off of the side of the building.

They started to fall.


	29. Answers (4)

**.:29:.**

* * *

Barry held his hands over his ears and closed his eyes tightly as he heard his mother's voice fill his head again. Words of comfort, to let him know he wasn't alone. Those words used to bring him such comfort, to have him smile in the middle of the night when he would suddenly feel crushing fear and sadness overwhelm him. It had been easy to deal with when he knew the cause of it, that he was just sad and missing her and wanted nothing more than to hear her voice one more time. Now it was frightening as he didn't know if he truly was just a little boy calling out for his mother, or if he was going crazy.

His rage had been from Bivolo, he knew that. Everything he had said and did…it had all been because of the anger that Bivolo had bestowed upon him. But these voices…the images he continued to see of her…he couldn't fathom where they were coming from. Cisco couldn't figure it out, Caitlin couldn't figure it out, and now he was stuck in a jail cell or sorts having been betrayed by someone he thought was his friend.

How had things gone so wrong?

Wasn't life supposed to get easier now that he had these powers? Going through his daily routine was a breeze, he could bypass lines at any stores or shops, get his chores done in a matter of moments, and still have enough time in the day to do whatever he wanted to do. Nevertheless, he still found as much time as he could to go through the city and help whoever was in trouble or to stop whatever metahuman came around. He thought everything in his life had gotten better when he received his powers from the lightning bolt—it even increased his confidence in ways he had never expected. He helped save so many lives, saved the city so many times, and after one incident he was trapped like a rat; not knowing what was going to happen next and wondering if the people he hurt while under Bivolo's whammy were going to help him.

Hearing a long sigh, Barry turned his head to the side and watched as Cadence stretched out on the floor, tapping her hands against her stomach. Her lower jaw jutted out and every now and then she would shake her head and mutter something under her breath.

"So how much longer do you think they're going to keep us down here?" Barry asked, his voice grabbing the fire metahuman's attention. She turned towards him and peered at him curiously. Bitterness edged into Barry's tone as he turned towards her. "I mean, you know them a lot better than I do. You must have some idea of what it is that they want."

Cadence let out a low, irritated sigh. "I already told you everything I know. I already told you everything I was told to do. And I already apologized!" She slapped her hands on the ground before bringing them up and scratching her palms which itched and burned from the fore of her slap. "What more do you want?"

Barry scrambled off the ground and grabbed onto the bars that sat in front of his face "What more do I want?" He repeated. "I can't believe I'm in this mess in the first place. I mean, wanting to stop the Suicide Squad and the Assassination Bureau is what I was meant to do. I'm supposed to protect Central City from everything that endangers it and everyone that lives here. And to know that one of the people that put them in danger was one of the few metahumans I thought I could trust. The other is _dead_!"

"I explained that, too!"

"You haven't explained anything!"

Cadence gritted her teeth. "I was under Leah's mind control. I couldn't help anything I was doing. Yes, I'll admit I should've told you before, maybe all of this could've been avoided. But I had a good reason for it."

"Nothing is a good reason to betray your friends."

"That's it, Barry! That's it right there!" Cadence brought her hands up to her hair, scrubbing her fingers against her scalp in frustration. "There's never a good reason to betray your friends. But what happens when you have to think about other people?" Barry frowned as he listened to what she had to say. "If you were in my position, and you had a son or daughter, or even a little brother or sister to take care of; to be sure they were developing okay, getting everything they had, to know they had everything you could give them, what would you do?" She leaned closer to the bars and stared hard at him. "I will literally do _anything_ to make sure that Brady has the life he deserves to have and, yes, I may have made some mistakes and bad decisions to do that. But what are you doing that's different?"

"Excuse me?" Barry's eyebrows rose so swiftly he was surprised they didn't fly off his forehead. His eyes widened in surprised and fury. "Don't turn this around on me! I've never done…I would _never_ do anything like you have!"

"Really? You wouldn't?"

"No."

"Then what about your Mom, Barry? What would you do if you found out the only way to find her killer, to get your Dad out of jail, was to do things you would never _ever_ think of doing. Things that would make you wonder if you're truly a bad person or fill you with so much guilt and paranoia you stay up night after night waiting to be arrested. How is this any different from what you would do for your Mom? What would you do if you got the man that killed her in front of you? Have you ever thought of that?"

Barry stared hard at her, listening to everything she had to say. He wanted to turn around and tune her out. Turn his back on her and wait for the inevitable as he had been doing for however long the two had been in there. Wanted to use his speed to vibrate the bars off of his cell and race out of there, despite receiving the initial shock Cadence had whenever she tried to teleport. And yet, he couldn't. As soon as anything about his mother or father was spoken, he stopped to pay attention. He listened to her words as she explained her situation and despite how angry he was…

"Your emotions were being controlled by Bivolo," Cadence continued, abruptly changing the subject. "That's what had you fighting me, and Oliver, and Roy and saying all of those things that proved you weren't the Barry that we all knew. And…the reason you've been seeing your mother is because of Leah and Bivolo. I hadn't realized it until I saw how his anger whammy affected you...your eyes."

Barry sucked in a deep breath. "What do you mean?" He whispered.

"Part of my job was to watch you, to know everything about you. It didn't take long for me to find out about your mother and father. Leah's power isn't just that she can control you, but she can project images in front of you. Images that aren't real but seem so real it can drive you crazy. The times you've seen your mother is because Leah is _making_ you see her, hoping to weaken you until they can use you. Eventually, Bivolo…they wanted to use Bivolo at first but he went rogue. And with the knowledge of what Leah was doing, he used his whammy on you to have you keep seeing your mother."

"But I never…"

"Never saw him until he needed you to, when he was robbing the bank. You've been whammied by him before. Your eyes…they're such a blue-ish green color that when he whammied you with his manipulation over sadness…no one could tell."

Barry lowered his hands from the bars and walked back a few steps. He brought his hands up over his face and through his hair. _I've been whammied,_ he thought. _This whole time. Leah…and Bivolo…they've been making me see my Mom this whole time._ "She mind controlled you?"

"Breathtaker is the one that charges up Leah's powers. The weaker she is, the weaker her manipulations are. She would mind control me after she got a charge from Breathtaker. He used her, to use me, to use you, to get to Dr. Wells. All they want is Dr. Wells, and the key to getting to him was to get to you."

"Then why are you down here?"

"Because I started to become your friend." Now Cadence backed away from the bars in front of her and sat down on the ground. "Or, I thought so, anyway. I haven't had a friend since I left Metropolis and we just clicked. I don't know if it was because of our powers or what, but…I did like being your friend. And if you were able to tell me about your Mom and Dad and take me into STAR Labs and just feel…welcome, I should've done the same to you, metahuman abilities aside."

Barry continued to pace around his cell, hands up to his forehead. What did he know about anything anymore? He knew that Wells and Caitlin and Cisco were always on his side, and always wanted what was best for him. They helped him out when he was first starting to come to terms with his powers and became a second family to him. Joe and Iris were still there for him and always had been since he had move in with them. Even Eddie, who was now a permanent fixture in his life—whether he liked it or not—was helpful in his career, especially when Captain Singh seemed to find Barry to be his target. At least he took care of Iris, something Barry always wanted for her.

He knew all of that. He knew that Central City was in trouble if he had been taken away and put in captivity. He knew the only way he was going to get out of there would be if he worked together with Cadence and did something big, something drastic that would allow them to gain the upper hand and save everybody. And if the only way that was going to happen was by lowering his pride and asking for help, then he would do it.

"So you did all of this for Brady?" Barry asked after a minute.

Cadence looked at him and nodded silently.

He turned away, closing his eyes. An image of his mother popped up into his head again. This time, however, it wasn't an image that came from a metahuman with projecting abilities. Nor a metahuman with the power to control his emotions. No. This was an image from his own mind, the mother that he remembered that always took care of him. Who always had a warm smile on her face and a kind word for whoever came into their house. The woman who always listened to Barry's stories of what happened at school, down to every last detail, as well as being sure to admonish him when he did something she thought he shouldn't have done. (No matter how many times he had gotten into a fight, trying to help another defenseless student, she would still punish him accordingly).

And this time around, his mother was cheering him on.

"Well don't worry," he said. "We'll make sure he's okay. And we'll make sure everyone else in the city is okay, too. We're going to stop these guys no matter what."

Cadence looked back at him and nodded. Then her eyes shifted to the side at the sound of footsteps heading their way and she scrambled to her feet, standing at the bars of her cage. She and Barry watched as Shrapnel came into view with a man Barry didn't recognize by his side. Shrapnel went over to Cadence's cell and unlocked it, dragging her out and quickly moving her hands behind her back. Barry watched as he tied her wrists together with a strange chord, followed it up, noticing how it connected to Shrapnel's vest.

Shrapnel turned and smiled at Barry, his eyebrows rapidly raising and lowering as he turned to the side, showing off the cord that led to a tiny black box pinned to the side of his vest. He was connected to a bomb. The man that stood in front of Barry's cell took the keys Shrapnel handed out to him and unlocked Barry's cell. As Barry looked up into the man's eyes, his eyebrows furrowed when he noticed they suddenly changed from green to brown, all in the space of a few seconds.

"Incognito," Cadence said as the man dragged Barry out and tied his hands behind his back. "You already got as much information out of us as you need, let us go."

"Brigade," Incognito said calmly. "You and I both know we can't do that. Besides, I'd think you'd like to watch the entire city go up in flames." With an almost shark-like smile towards the fire metahuman, Incognito shoved Barry forward and the two metahumans were led out from the dungeon area.

"You think you can set off some sort of smoke detector to give us a distraction to get out of here?" Barry asked out of the side of his mouth. Cadence made a slight snorting sound in reply.

"Not unless you want to get us blown up within a few seconds," she murmured in reply. Lifting her chin, she nodded towards Shrapnel, who walked ahead of the two of them. "These cords we're tied up with, leads to an explosive. This guy right here, it's his specialty. Now, I could absorb most of the fire from the bomb blast, but this guy is named Shrapnel for a reason. Not even your fast regenerating cells can stop the flying pieces of metal from killing you."

Shrapnel turned around and started to walk backwards, his eyes moving back and forth across the face of the two metahuman and lifted his right hand, his finger hovering over a button on the side of the tiny black box in his hand. Barry immediately recognized it as a control box. And as close as he was to Shrapnel, as quick as he would be able to move to try and keep the man from pressing the button, he knew he wouldn't be able to move fast enough.

Shrapnel knew that too, for he smirked as he waved the control box back and forth, the two metahumans staring at it. "You try any of your zippy-zappy speed, Allen, and all of us are going to be swallowing lead pellets. To the point that if the authorities ever find us, they'd be spending years picking up body parts to try and even come close to identification."

Barry swallowed hard. Despite being an assistant forensic scientist, he had seen a lot of things while working with the Central City Police Department. Not only had he seen people tweaked out on drugs, the aftermath of those that had tried to escape from their abusers, houses rundown from neglect, marijuana farms, and meth labs. Things he had heard about, researched, and studied while working to get his degree in forensics was very much different than seeing it in real life. He had seen the aftermath of a terrorist group trying to create their own bombs to cause mass havoc, how one person had mishandled a few chemicals and managed to blow himself, his confidants, and the house to bits. Shrapnel knew what he was talking about when it came to the threats he was dealing out.

Barry looked over at Cadence once more before Shrapnel pulled hard on the cords wrapped around them and pulled them through the doorway that immediately came up to their right. They were led up a few flights of stairs before being dragged into a large room. Barry noticed a figure lying on the ground; his hands tied his back as well. It took him a minute to figure out who it was.

"Dr. Wells!" Barry's voice echoed across the room seconds before a grunt escaped his mouth as he was shoved to the ground. Rolling onto his side, Barry looked over at Dr. Harrison Wells. The man stared back at Barry, blue eyes dulled with…well, he wasn't sure. There was an air of confidence that radiated off him, but at the same time he didn't appear to be putting up a struggle.

Despite a few scratches on his face, some with drying blood, Harrison kept his eyes on Barry, as if he were trying to warn him of something. To tell him something…

No matter what it was, it probably wasn't going to help.

* * *

Cisco looked over at Bette as she walked into his cell, carrying another tray. This time around, she kept it close to herself, placing it on the floor next to her before picking up the plastic water bottle she balanced carefully. Once she stretched her leg out in front of her, he rolled the water bottle towards Cisco. It traveled forward and hit Cisco's foot, bouncing off of it and rolling away. He made no move to pick it up.

Bette glanced at him for a minute before turning her head to face him completely. "I said I'd bring you water this time. I know you didn't like the food."

"I don't want anything from you," Cisco murmured. This time, rather than looking around her or above her head as he had done multiple times she arrived at his cell, he looked directly at her. "I don't even want to look at you. Not after you've done this to me. To us!" He shook his head. "Not when we were friends. "

Bette licked her lips and brought her knees up to her chest. She wrapped he arms around her legs, hugging her knees to her chest and let out a breath. "I deserve that," she admitted. "Like you said, you thought I died. I made you think I had died. I'm working with people that I really shouldn't be working with. But I have no choice."

Cisco snorted but didn't reply.

Silence hung between the two of them for a long moment. Only their breathing was heard. Cisco's short, harsh, and angry while Bette's was long, calm, and serene. And they stayed that way, Cisco staring hard at Bette, and the young woman staring back at him. Finally, Cisco tore his gaze away, tilting his head back and leaning it against the cool wall behind him. His stomach growled loudly but he refused to move forward and reach for the food tray or the water.

Instead, he tried to turn his mind over to his friends. What were they doing now that they knew he was gone? They had to have known. He didn't have his phone so there was no way for them to get in contact with him. They had to know there was something wrong if he was gone. Shouldn't Barry and Cadence come looking for him at that point? He didn't doubt they were doing his best to find him, with Caitlin's help. He could practically see the tight, nervous, worried expression she got on her face that she had nearly every time something went wrong. That was always Caitlin, worrying about him like a sister, telling him what to do and what not to do and playfully ribbing him when the time came. Something that he, of course, did back to her; he lost count of the times he had tried to get Caitlin to step out of her comfort zone a little.

It usually ended up with the two of them in hysterical laughter over Caitlin's insistence to follow her schedule and that she'd step out of her comfort zone 'tomorrow'. Which he would then remind her that it was a 'day away', a joke referring to the time Caitlin and Ronnie had made plans to watch the movie together and Cisco crashed it. That would eventually have the two of them laughing so hard they'd start to cry. It was silly, probably wasn't even that funny, but the two of them always laughed whenever it was brought up or something Annie related was mentioned.

That was friendship. His and Barry finding so much in common with each other as they worked around saving the city and developing new gizmos and gadgets for STAR Labs and for his suit. His friendship with Cadence as the two got excited over Cadence being able to exhibit the extent of her powers and Cisco being able to see it all happen in person. His friendship with Wells as the man was a bit of a father figure to him. Not only did he believe in everything that Cisco put his mind to but he pushed the young man to get better and better in everything, relied on him to keep the Flash and everything STAR Labs related from breaking down. Despite not knowing Team Arrow for very long they were good friends to him, all united under the secrets they had to keep.

Was Bette a friend? At one point, maybe.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

"Everyone has a choice whether or not to betray someone," Cisco finally said. "You made your choice; you have to live with it."

"That may be true, but you don't know the other side of what would've happened if I didn't do this," Bette said. "What would've happened. Not just to me, but to everyone around here. To some people in Central City. Not only would they be in danger, but there would be a very corrupt man thinking he could do whatever he wanted in the army and continue his reign of terror. Not just on my but anyone else who is like me, Barry, and Cadence."

Despite trying his hardest to keep from being interested, Cisco couldn't help but give her his undivided attention. _Cure you scientific mind and weakness for hot girls,_ he mentally berated. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Cisco, if I didn't do this…if I didn't help the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau after I came back to life…Eiling would continue to hunt me down. If I didn't do this, he would keep going until he captured me again and tortured me and ran tests, all so that he could move forward in his career in the most inhumane ways. But he wouldn't have stopped with me. He would've gone after every metahuman that he found that could be of use to him and continued to test on them and torture them and…use their powers to his advantage. If I didn't do this, Eiling would continue to hurt people. I did this…so they could get rid of Eiling and so I could finally live.

"That's what the Suicide Squad is all about. They give and take. If they do something for you, you do something for them. I can't….I can't live knowing that if I didn't join them, someone else was going to fall under Eiling's track and they wouldn't be able to shake him. I've seen him do some sick and disgusting things and I'm not going to have that happen to anyone else."

Cisco ran a hand through his hair. "You…you mean you're telling me that—"

There was a clanging sound and before Cisco could get the rest of his words out, Bette scrambled to her feet, kicking the tray and water bottle out of sight. His eyebrows furrowed together as she brought rope out from a knapsack he noticed was hanging off her shoulder, and went over to him. Despite seeing the gloves on her hand, he flinched when she reached out and grabbed onto his arm. She hauled him to his feet and moved behind him, shoving his wrists together and tied them with complicated knots.

"Sorry," she murmured. "But I have to do this."

This time, Cisco detected the sincere apology in her voice and lifted his head as he watched a tall girl with black and white hair, styled in a Mohawk, appear at the opening to the cell. She watched as Bette finished tying Cisco's hands and pushed him towards the opening.

"Leah," Bette said to her.

Leah looked Cisco up and down before smiling a little, reaching out and brushing his hair back. "Hm. This one's a cutie. Say, when you're done with him, do you think you can share."

"Back off." Bette jerked Cisco to the side and stepped around the illusionist metahuman. "He's mine." With another hard push, nearly falling on his face, Cisco walked down the long hallway that led to his cell with Bette behind him, holding a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Despite the circumstances, Cisco couldn't help but let a little smile come onto his face. Metahuman or not, it made his self-esteem rise to know that he was still being fought over, even if it was in the face of death. Cisco was taken down a maze of hallways and rooms before he was brought to one that had the rest of the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau waiting. He spotted Cadence, Barry, and Harrison kneeling on the floor and was pushed to kneel by them a few seconds later. Barry looked over at him and nodded slightly.

Cisco nodded back and bent his head, waiting to see what was coming next.

* * *

Caitlin slowed down, hopping a few paces as she ripped off her heel and then did the same with her other foot. Who knew that wanting to dress professionally was going to slow her down at some point in her life? This time around, Felicity appeared to have the same problem, letting out little grunts of annoyance as the tight hem of her dress kept her from opening her stride as far as she would've liked.

Brady, who ran ahead of them, turned back around and grabbed onto Caitlin's wrist before pulling her along. "C'mon, Caitlin! We don't want them to catch us!"

"I'm going." Caitlin glanced over her shoulder to be sure that Felicity was still right behind them before stopping. "Hold on." She gently nudged Brady's hand off her wrist and went back to the blonde, who slowed to a walk.

"Whoever said that pencil skirts are practical _and_ sexy, clearly haven't gone into our line of work," Felicity said. Having ditched her shoes early in the run, she stepped lightly over the ground as she stopped by Caitlin and Brady. "I mean, you'd think by now I would realize that guys aren't pre-dispositioned to notice when someone is putting in the extra effort to get their attention. Not that I'm _trying_ to get anyone's attention, but everyone deserves to be lusted after in some capacity." She paused, closing her eyes. "I mean…the bloodlust and everything—"

"What does that mean?" Brady asked, tilting his head to the side.

Caitlin waved a hand towards Brady before going over to Felicity. She grabbed the hem of the girl's dress and ripped off a large portion of the bottom, giving Felicity more space to open her stride. "Unless you want to figure it out first hand, I suggest you keep running."

Brady nodded and looked up and down the street. Caitlin rubbed her arms, breath fogging in front of her face as she waited for the young boy to gather his bearings and figure out which way to go. The coldness of the ground seeped into her bones as she bounced up and down on her toes. Anything to get warm. She had hoped the quick escape from STAR Labs would've done that.

Once Oliver and Roy had gone out to fight Stratos, Harley, Deadshot, and Breathtaker, she, Felicity, Brady, and Diggle continued to scan the area the others were being held in, watching the outside world on the computer monitors. Central City had gone nuts as soon as they heard what Breathtaker had to say, as soon as Stratos, Harley, and Deadshot had attacked. The city was in a state of emergency, people trying to evacuate as quickly as they could by any means they could, others running through the streets taking advantage of the chaos and confusion to loot stores and commit as much crime as possible. Once they got the view of Roy and Stratos tumbling off the roof, Diggle immediately went into action.

"You guys go get to the others," he declared. Pulling up the bottom of his shirt, he whipped out a handgun and cocked it. The loud noise inside such an expansive floor caused Caitlin and Brady to jump. In Starling City they used guns as well as their weapons, in Central City; they used science and every means necessary to keep from hurting anyone enough so that Barry could capture them.

 _This isn't the same Central City anymore,_ Caitlin reminded herself as she watched Diggle head towards the door. "Roy and Oliver are going to need my help and with no one to protect you in case someone comes looking for Harrison, you got to get out of here."

"Wait!" Felicity got to her feet and went over to Diggle, placing her hand on his arm. "You can't do this, Dig. You don't know what they can do. You've seen what Stratos has just managed. And that Harley chick has a freaking _mallet!_ I know this isn't Looney Tunes, but things are crazy out there!"

Diggle pushed Felicity's hand away, giving her a stern look before turning to Brady. "Make sure the two of them are safe." Brady nodded in earnest and the man turned back to Felicity, who appeared to be wrapping her mind around words that would convince him to stay. "I'll be okay. So will Oliver and Roy. I'll make sure of that. But I can't keep you here in good conscience knowing you'll be in danger." The young woman nodded and took a step back before Diggle turned on his heel and hurried out of the room.

Caitlin watched the computer monitors for another moment, jumping when she spotted a car go flying through the air—from the work of Stratos or another metahuman, she didn't know—and crash to the ground, taking out innocent bystanders. She closed her eyes, turning away, suddenly feeling her blood run cold. Then she felt Brady's warm hand on her wrist and the three turned and raced out of STAR Labs, through the back entrance.

And they had been running. Running through the streets filled with people trying to get out of Central City, those who broke glass store fronts and surged inside. Others running down the street with their treasures in their arms, crisscrossing against the street as they went. The three continued to run as long as they could.

Despite all that running, with still a few more blocks to go, she was still really cold. Looking over at Brady and Felicity, her eyebrows furrowed together when she noticed she was the only one bobbing up and down, rubbing her arms, her breath in her face. It wasn't until then she notice she felt a light surge of warmth when Brady had grabbed onto her wrist.

"What are we going to do when we get there?" Felicity asked. "They're going to know we're coming."

"If we're lucky, they're waiting for us," Brad said mysteriously. He turned on his heel. "It's not much further. C'mon."

"Felicity's right," Caitlin stopped him in his tracks once more. "What are we going to do when we get there? We have to have some sort of plan. We can't just run in and expect them to take us to Barry and Cade and bring them back out with just a hello and goodbye wave."

"And we can't just sit here waiting to be captured," Brady pointed out. "You just have to believe that Barry and my Mom will be able to do something that'll get them back out of there, until we can get Oliver and Roy and Diggle to help us out. They'll know where we are."

Brady turned on his heel once more and led the two girls down the street. Felicity and Caitlin ran side by side, following the young boy until they reached the waterside of Central City where large warehouses loomed in front of them. Those warehouses had been used in large capacities to create steel during the industrial era and when the city boomed economically, the warehouses fell by the wayside as office jobs and business boomed. Now the waterside warehouses were used as smuggling ports, or as she had heard.

Plaintively, it was a good place to hide out. Especially as there was numerous underground passages that had been created and used over the years. The three went towards the warehouse, and only made it a few steps towards the door before it was opened and Shrapnel walked out, holding onto a control box.

"I see you decided to turn yourselves in," he remarked. "Which is just as well, this place is wired with hundreds of pounds of explosives. One false move and the entire place and the neighboring buildings skyrocket."

Brady held up his hands and, confused, Caitlin and Felicity did the same. The two girls exchanged glances and raised their hands above their heads as well. Shrapnel moved around to the back of the three and shoved Felicity hard, leading them into the building. Soon they were in the same room Cisco, Brady, Cadence, and Harrison were being held in. Their hands were tied and they were lined up around the other captives. Caitlin flipped her hair out of her face and looked at the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau as they stood in a semi-circle around the group. She started when she spotted Bette, who turned away as soon as she caught Caitlin's eye.

"Now that we have them here, now that they know everything, we should just get it over with," Incognito declared. He lifted his chin, staring hard at their captives. "No need to make them suffer. Kill them all one by one." He reached behind him and pulled out a pistol, pointing it towards Barry. The speedy metahuman stared back at him, then his eyes widened when he saw Incognito's body slowly transform until Joe West was standing in front of him. "Does this look familiar to you?" He asked, Joe's voice coming out of his mouth.

"What did you do to him?" Barry yelled.

"Relax, we haven't done anything to them yet," Shrapnel said, almost lazily. "We won't need to until Breathtaker gets back. By now, the entire city has heard his message. How the metahumans and humans should be living together in harmony."

"Don't listen to him!" Felicity called, voice shaking slightly. "They're trying to turn the city against Harrison Wells. They're trying to blame this all on him; they want to take over the city!"

"I say we get rid of her first," Bronze Tiger murmured, bringing a hand up and rubbing his forehead. "I remember her now. That incessant talking never stops." He lifted his claw covered hand and walked over to Harrison. He reached out a hand and grabbed onto the man's shirt and lifted his claw to the man's neck. "I'll kill her and the kid after I kill him."

"No!" Cisco cried. "You can't do that."

"Can't we?" Leah smirked at him. "Don't you know he was who we were after? The whole reason Brigade over there has been working with you guys was to help us get to The Flash and then get to Wells. I'm guessing you don't know the whole story behind this little arrangement. You see, Brigade and Wells have known each other for a long time. As a matter of fact, I would say that he's the one that made her into what she is today. A metahuman." She crossed her arms, shrugging. "Who knew that those parents were right when they said that vaccinating their kids could have some dire consequences?"

Caitlin's eyes widened slightly as she looked over to the fire metahuman. Her head rose slowly, watching the illusionist metahuman, a mimicking expression of shock and disbelief on her face as that of Caitlin's. _Oliver was telling the truth?_ She thought before turning her attention to Harrison. He was looking back at her, studying her expression. _What does he have to do with her being a metahuman?_

"You see, we've been following Harrison Wells' career as closely as possible, we've read his book too," Shrapnel explained. "It's a really great read. Very informative. It let us know everything we already thought about Wells and more, that he had a lot of power over this city. And still does. And we want that power. So we're turning Central City against him for the destruction going on, revealing the existence of metahumans and telling others how much Wells wanted to keep it a secret, keeping all of the residents in danger. Once the city goes against him, once there's no more Wells, the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau will take over." He turned to Cadence and smiled. "And it's all thanks to Brigade over there, all because of her special relationship with Wells, so to speak."

Caitlin looked back and forth between Cadence, Harrison—who continued to look at her—and Bronze Tiger, who held onto the man, gently moving the tip of his claws against Well's neck. She felt her breath catch in her throat, suddenly very warm once more.

"If she hadn't tried to betray us, if she hadn't had become so goody-goody and become friends with this these people…going against Breathtaker…" Leah shrugged once more. "Well, payback's a bitch." She waved a hand. "Say goodbye."

Bronze Tiger brought his hand high over his head, his other hand tightening around Harrison's shirt collar lest the older man tried to get away. Felicity, Brady, Barry, Cisco, and Cadence all made sounds of protest but it was Caitlin's cry that stopped him.

"No! You can't!" She looked over at Harrison, and then at Cadence, then back to Bronze Tiger. "He's her father," she finally chocked out.


	30. Revenge (5)

**.:30:.**

* * *

Diggle raced onto the rooftop of STAR Labs, gun drawn straight in front of him. He pressed his back against the outer wall and slid around in the same manner that Roy and Oliver had done earlier in that day. He could hear the chaos of the city below, but couldn't hear Oliver nor Roy. He took a breath before twisting to the side and paused when he found Deadshot waiting for him, his own artillery pointed directly at Diggle.

The former and current A.R.G.U.S. members stared at each other for a moment before Diggle reacted quickly, leaping to the side. The sound of the gunshot erupted seconds after his feet left the ground. Twisting as he fell through the air, Diggle rolled across his shoulders and whipped his pistol up and fired a shot. Like Diggle had done, Deadshot jolted out of the way, ducking in cover behind a sloping portion of the roof, effectively giving the two cover from each other.

"You've been out of A.R.G.U.S. for a long time, Diggle, you were still one of the best that we've had in the group," Deadshot called to him. "It'd be a shame to have to lose you to something like this, that doesn't concern you. I can let you turn around and walk away right now…you and I both know that if you continue this, you're just going to live to regret it." He cleared his throat. "You know that I wouldn't hesitate to kill you when I get the chance. Just like I've done with all of the others."

There was a pregnant pause.

Diggle gritted his teeth as he listened to Floyd Lawton's voice. The same voice he wished that he hadn't had to hear ever again. The same voice that belonged to the man that killed his brother years ago. Everything Floyd Lawton stood for, everything he did, Diggle was against. Despite wanting to get rid of the man in every sense of the word, nothing would be sweeter than watching the man surrender and fall into captivity. Though seeing the man die would be just as great, watching him rot would be even more satisfying.

"I can do the same to these people in Central City…some I already have. A moment of aim over the side of the roof and…" Deadshot made a light whistling sound with his mouth, mimicking the sound of a quick moving bullet. "They wouldn't know what happened. Everything they knew in life would be gone before their bodies hit the ground."

"What do you want with Central City?" Diggle demanded. He adjusted his grip on his pistol, still ducked behind the roof. "There's nothing here that you'd ever need. Why would you follow someone so blindly? What does Amanda Waller want you to do with this work?"

There was another silent and Diggle licked his lips, waiting for some sort of response as well as some sort of sneak attack. But there was no response. Nothing. All Diggle could hear was the sound of the chaos continuing below. Shifting around the side of his protection, Diggle glanced out in the direction of the Suicide Squad member. He moved slowly, deliberately, gun drawn in front of him. Shifting back and forth, gently waving the gun along with his movements, continuing to approach the place Deadshot had been moments before. The man licked his lips and as he turned the curved portion of the roof, Harley leapt out towards him, waving her mallet high.

Diggle ducked out of the way and kicked back towards her sending Harley stumbling a few steps away from him. "Ow!" She cried, rubbing her side. "Hey! You're supposed to go easy on a lady!" She swung her mallet back around once more, catching Diggle on the arm. He screamed in pain as he felt the wooden weapon crack against his arm. Falling onto his back, Diggle twisted around and lifted his pistol once more, but it was knocked out his hands by Harley's mallet.

She stood over him, holding it easily between her hands. "What? Did you think it was going to be that easy?" She giggled lightly, bobbing the mallet up and down. "Well, think again, loser!" She brought her mallet up high over her head. "This is it! Just you, me and your death. Say hello to your brother for me!" Harley laughed loudly as she brought her mallet high over her head. Diggle watched as she started to bring it down towards his head.

All of a sudden there was a whistling sound seconds before Harley's screech permeated the air. Diggle had watched her as she brought the mallet down, and watched as it fell from her grasp, an arrow buried in her shoulder. She turned to the side, glaring at Oliver, who walked up to her with his bow pointed at her, reaching behind him for another arrow. Taking the opportunity that presented itself, Diggle lifted his legs and tightened them around Harley's. She cried out and fell to the ground, losing her balance, and Diggle rolled over on top of her. Pinning her flailing hands behind his back with one hand, he picked up his pistol with the other.

"Don't think you're going to get away with this, dumbass!" Harley cried, kicking her legs back and forth. "Even if we can't finish this, there's always someone that'll do it! Just you wait! Mister J could do this even better than these Suicide Squad morons!" She viciously thrashed back and forth as Diggle tightened his grip around her. He looked up at Oliver, who lowered his bow and arrow, this time reaching into a compartment on his chest and pulling out a small vial.

The Arrow nodded towards Diggle as he walked closer. Diggle nodded back and flipped his pistol around in his hand and smashed the butt of the gun against the side of Harley's head. She immediately fell limp and Oliver walked over, sticking her arm with the syringe at the end of the vial. Harley let out a quiet sigh, and Diggle climbed off of her. He backed up a few paces and looked over at Oliver, who looked his friend over.

"What happened to Deadshot?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips. He grimaced at the pain that radiated from his elbow. He wasn't sure if it was broken or not, but he couldn't focus on it at the moment.

"He got away," Oliver replied, voice deepened by his voice filter. "While he was speaking to you about what was needed for Central City. As it was, it was a measure of distraction so that Harley would take his fall." He turned and went to the side of the roof and looked down at the city.

"Where's Roy?" Diggle asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question."

Diggle hurried up to Oliver's side and the two scanned the ground alongside STAR Labs, scanning the ground for their red hooded friend. Diggle jogged to the other side of the building and looked down, finding him in hand to hand combat with Stratos. Diggle waved Oliver over and the two watched as Roy ducked out of the way of a fist Stratos sent his way and smashed him in the stomach with his bow. Stratos sent back a gust of wind that punched Roy in the stomach, sending him flying back on the ground.

"C'mon!" Oliver shot out a retractable arrow and Diggle grabbed onto his friend's arm and the two flew down to the ground. Diggle immediately ducked out of the way of a man, looking for a fight, swung towards him. "No!" Oliver grabbed onto the man and flung him to the ground. "We're not your enemy."

"No time, we have to get going!" Diggle turned back towards Roy as Stratos stalked towards the red arrow. Roy flipped back to his feet and dodged another wave of air with a bounce off of the wall beside him. Growling, Stratos waved his hands together and a cloud of fog quickly swirled around the two of them. Oliver and Diggle rushed forward as the fog continued to thicken by the seconds.

Oliver shot a series of arrows into the fog as Diggle lifted his pistol and shot as well. The two ran into the fog and Diggle found Roy crouched on the ground, out of the way of the shots that were fired towards him, and Diggle and Oliver leapt at the same time, knocking Stratos to the ground. Stratos tried to knock the two off with a series of gusts of wind. Diggle crouched low on the ground, shielding himself as best he could. Roy placed his hands on the ground and did a judo-sweep, knocking Stratos onto his back.

Quickly converging upon him, Roy, Diggle, and Oliver grabbed onto Stratos and forced his hands behind his back, subduing him. "Okay, let's get him to the van and then we'll track down the others," Diggle said. Stratos started to say something but Oliver and Roy both took out arrows and aimed them at the metahuman.

"How would you like to try and use your mojo completely filled with arrows?" Oliver growled.

"I can't guarantee it's something that you'd particularly enjoy," Roy added.

Stratos glared at the two of them and slumped back on the ground, subjecting himself to his capture. Diggle, Oliver, and Roy took him to Diggle's van and stuffed him in the back before Diggle got into the front seat. He paused; looking up at STAR Labs, his mind on Deadshot then shook his head, turning on the van. It immediately roared to life and he spun the van around, racing to the edge of the city following the map that the A.R.G.U.S. system directed him to.

"What are we going to do when we get there?" Roy asked. "Use him as bait? It's not going to stop the mass hysteria. Even then, we don't know where Breathtaker went."

Stratos smiled, a little malicious smile, but stayed silent.

"We don't have time to worry about that now," Diggle said firmly. "Right now we have to save the others."

* * *

A stunned silence filled the air after Caitlin's admission. For a few seconds, anyway. Barry looked to the left as Cadence let out a gasping sound and then managed to squeak out a confused filled and rage induced _"What?!"_

Leah merely snorted. "Please. You think we didn't know that? Why do you think we went after Brigade in the first place? It was the easiest way to get to Wells." She lovingly reached up and made sure her Mohawk was in place. "I didn't think it was going to be this easy to get to him. Actually, I thought it would've been realized a long time ago."

"What do you want with Dr. Wells?" Cisco asked.

Shrapnel bared his teeth. "Didn't you hear what Breathtaker had to say? We're going to take over this city and the only way that can happen is if we get rid of Wells. You see, he's the one that's keeping the city barely in balance. The city already hates him, all we have to do is turn them again him even further and the city will go to ruin." He made a show of placing his hand beside his ear, as if someone had just called his name. "Can't you hear the sounds of Central City as we know it going to the dogs? The metahuman will take over and the humans will be enslaved and it'll all be because of one Dr. Harrison Wells."

"But that's not true!" Caitlin insisted. "He's done a lot to help this city. By capturing some of the metahumans that had been running rampant through the city and putting all in danger. He's been keeping the city safe! The Particle Accelerator explosion…" she shook her head, looking over at Cisco, who looked back at her. "We're just as much to blame as he is, for going along with it."

"I'm sure that'd be nice to add to your headstones," Incognito remarked.

Barry sucked in a deep breath and glanced at Cadence out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head lightly and she noticed the movement, nodding ever so slightly. Barry looked back over at Bronze Tiger as he pulled his hand back once more, aiming directly towards Dr. Well's throat. He watched as the African-American man brought his hand down towards his mentor.

"Now!" Barry called and the area warped around them.

Barry reached down towards the ankle monitor that had been placed on him and grabbed it in his hands. He vibrated it until sparks flew from the inside and he ripped it off of his leg. Lifting it up, he crashed it in his hand before turning back towards Cadence. She leaned forward and clenched her hands into fists as they burst into flames. The handcuffs immediately melted from around her wrist and she turned to Barry, who shifted around to face her. He clenched his teeth, closing his eyes as Cadence smashed a flaming fist on the chain of his cuffs. She then rolled out of the way as Barry got to his feet and charged around the room, disarming the Assassination Bureau and Suicide Squad members as he went.

He raced towards Bronze Tiger last, watching as the tip of his claw slowly started to puncture Wells' neck. As time sped up around him, he was caught off guard as Bronze Tiger turned and shoved his fist towards Barry's gut. The speedster let out a grunt of surprise, stopping short on top of the metal claws that went through his belly and out his back. His eyes widened as his arms fell to this side.

"Dr. Wells!" Caitlin cried as everything zoomed back to normal speed around them. She hadn't seen what had befallen of Barry, as he had been on the other side of the room, but whipped to face him when she heard Brady's shout of despair.

"Barry!" Cisco and Felicity added.

Leah reached into her vest and pulled out a knife. Twisting through the air as she fell to the ground, she flung the knife as hard as she could towards Team Flash and Felicity as they sat on the ground. Cadence turned to the side and grabbed onto Brady, wrapping her arms around him and rolling out of the way as the knife went whizzing by. She hissed loudly as the knife went flying by her arm, slicing a straight line on her shoulder. She whipped her head around and glared at the illusionist metahuman, tightening her grip around her son as her eyes started to glow a bright orange.

All of a sudden there was an implosion of fire that crashed through the room. Team Flash and Felicity all screamed as the back draft from the flame blew them off their feet and back across the floor of the warehouse. The Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau screamed in rage and pain as they were caught up in the blast, shot through all sides of the warehouse.

Brady held tightly onto his mother, wide eyes staring at the flames that continued to flicker throughout the room as the heat faded. "How'd you do that?" He whispered, voice quivering.

Cadence slowly shook her head. "That wasn't me."

Barry, having been caught in the blast alongside Bronze Tiger, lay on his back on the ground, hand gently draped over his stomach. His fingers gently moved over his stomach, where the puncture wounds sat. He coughed, curling up in pain racking through his body from the wounds and the crash onto the ground. His ears rang with a high pitched sound and he gently rolled his head to the side to see Felicity and Cisco hovering over him. He could feel their hands on his body; Cisco's trying to keep his hands over the wounds as Felicity gently draped her hands on his shoulders, hoping to keep him conscious. She turned his head towards her and as Barry looked up at them, he could see their mouths moving rapidly, but couldn't hear what they were saying.

Turning his head the other way, Barry watched as Caitlin kneeled over Harrison, making sure he was okay. He then turned his head back the other way as Cadence and Brady appeared in view. _No._ It hadn't worked. The plan hadn't worked. He hadn't expected Bronze Tiger to have reacted to his movements as quickly as he had. He hadn't expected anyone to be able to touch him. And yet, here he was lying on the ground with stab wounds that weren't healing as quickly as he had hoped. _That ankle monitor was keeping me from using my powers, it's been destroyed…why isn't it working now?_ Another wave of pain washed over him and Barry screamed, flinching as he curled up, and then turned on his side, coughing hard.

Drips of blood splattered from his mouth as he did so. He felt his body turn cold, numb to the floor and touch around him. He couldn't feel his friends' hands on him anymore, but saw them move around him in his hazy gaze. He could see their silhouettes frantically moving around them, their voices muffled and sounding far away.

He was forced to roll back onto his back and looked up as Cisco tucked his hair behind his ears and lifted the bottom of his shirt. Barry couldn't feel the pain of him moving his hands amongst the wounds, but could see his young friend calling over his shoulder every now and then, presumably to Caitlin to get a good idea on what to do to save him.

 _Barry._ He heard his mother's voice, filling him with warmth. _Barry, you can't give up. I know you can do so much more than this. Don't give up. I'm always here for you. I'm always here with you._

Blinking slowly, Barry sucked in a gasp of air and watched as Cadence leaned over him, rubbing her hands together for a brief second then placing them on his stomach, over the wounds. Though he was still cold, he felt the warmth of her hands on his stomach, the pain ebbing slightly.

Then there was a flash of red light. Once. Twice. Three times. The heat faded away as there was another red flash. Barry turned his head to the side and watched as the red lightning trail zoomed in circles around the room before it darted back to him. There was a swirl of red lightning and the appearance of red eyes that Barry had remembered from years before, standing above him. Before he had the chance to blink, the scarlet speedster found himself lying on a bed, his head tucked back into a mound of pillows.

He stared at the blank walls around him then fell into darkness.

* * *

Back at the warehouse Shrapnel, Bronze Tiger, Mindboggler, Incognito, and Plastique all picked themselves up off the ground. Darkness swirled around them, the only light source being the moonlight streaming in through the massive hole in the wall of the warehouse as well as the residual flames flickering on the floor.

Bronze Tiger looked around and seeing the room empty, he sat back on his heels, spread his arms and roared loudly, much like the animal that he had his namesake. He roared and roared longer and louder as his throat went raw from his scream of rage. Finally losing his breath he slumped in on himself, glaring at the ground in front of him with so much malice his face was unrecognizable.

"We're not going to let the Flash get away with this," Bronze Tiger growled…


	31. A Flash in the Plan (6)

**.:31:.**

* * *

It was his worst nightmare.

Things had been going so well and then it all fell apart.

He had zipped around the warehouse, taking down the members of the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau like it was no one's business. They couldn't make his speed or his power as he zoomed around the room, taking them all down. Then it had happened again. There was a twitch in his leg, a buckling of his knee. Something that caused him to stumble and fall, crashing along the ground as he rolled to a stop. Lying on his back, Harrison had stared at the ceiling in disbelief. If shouldn't have been happening that way. He should've been able to get in and get out and stop everything from happening.

And yet his speed failed him and he soon found himself captured. He continued to lie on the floor, waiting for his energy to come back. Within that time Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, Felicity, Brady, and Cadence had been brought in and he knew that he had truly failed. That he hadn't been able to keep the city from falling under the ruling of Breathtaker and the Assassination Bureau. Unfortunately, despite being able to see the future through his technological advancements, he hadn't seen any of this coming. He hadn't seen that the Suicide Squad would've joined up with metahumans to take over Central City, placing all the blame on him. He had known there was the chance of other metahumans coming into their powers at a rapid pace, that there'd be a chance they would try and rise up, wanting answers and blaming him.

He hadn't expected the whole city would've fallen under their power. He wouldn't have expected Amanda Waller of all people to want to try and destroy Central City, unless she wasn't involved at all. Despite that, despite everything he knew, he had no choice but to lie there. Even when Bronze Tiger was threatening his life, holding his claws against him, even knowing he would survive the attack due to his rapid healing, he wouldn't be able to do anything to save himself or the others.

He had decided, right then and there, that he wouldn't mind that secret getting out and would've accepted the repercussions wholeheartedly. But that wasn't the secret that managed to get spilled, no; it was the other one he had kept under wraps until he was sure the time was right that had reared its ugly head. And Caitlin had been the one who revealed it. The one who had revealed that he indeed was Cadence's father; as if the revelation was going to spare his life.

Pleading towards the humanity of others was something that had to be locked away if one was truly to become a villain of sorts. There was a part of her that understood why she had thought it was a good idea to say it; to keep him alive, to distract them long enough so that something could've been done. Then there was the other part of him, the human part of him, that hadn't wanted it to be revealed unless it was on his terms. That's why he had stared at her, he just had a feeling she would do something like that, especially as it seemed like their end was near.

And Cadence had reacted the way she expected him to, especially within that scenario. Hearing her cry of surprise and disbelief he had closed his eyes, lowering his head. He was angry then. Things hadn't gone the way they needed to, he had been defeated so easily, and a part of his life was falling apart. And that anger had fueled him to have enough power. Hearing Cadence and Barry start what he knew to be a plan that wouldn't last against the strength that was the two factions working together, he did what he had to do. Risking his other secret, his identity, he grabbed them all and took them to his house.

Well, it wasn't _his_ house exactly. It was one of the many houses he and Tess owned over the years. This one still being in Central City, but having had been foreclosed ages before. He had to get out of there; he couldn't live in the same house that he and Tess had created for themselves, shortly after her death he had moved away. But it was a place no one would go looking for him or the rest of his team. It was far enough away from the city that they could be safe from the Assassination Bureau and Suicide Squad as they figured out what to do. But close enough so that once that plan comes to fruition, Barry and those that were able could go right into battle.

 _If there's anything that can be done to stop them,_ Harrison thought. He sat in his wheelchair—being careful to grab it when zooming out of the warehouse—at the window of his former office. It was as bare as the day he had left the room, everything but the curtains having been taken out. These curtains, despite being chewed on by moths, were still in great condition. Not that he was surprised; Tess had painstakingly sewed them for his space.

Closing his eyes, he lifted his glasses and rubbed his face. What would her reaction be if she knew that the truth had been revealed? Relieved, probably. Their decision of adoption had taken its toll over the years; he could see it each time Mother's Day, birthdays, and holidays passed. Every now and then she would spot by the spare room that would've been their daughters and stared into it. Then she would collect herself and move on.

"Harrison? I mean, Dr. Wells."

Replacing his glasses, Harrison wheeled around and faced Caitlin as she stood in the doorway, wringing her hands together. He noted the nerves in her voice before noticing her nervous stature. "Yes, Caitlin?" He watched as she visibly relaxed and step into the room. "What can I help you with?"

She took a deep breath before starting to speak. "I know that what I did, I shouldn't have done. I shouldn't have said anything that you wouldn't have wanted everyone else to find out. I just…I didn't know what else to do to get them to stop. And, I thought, maybe it would…I don't know." She brushed her hair back behind her shoulders, coming to a stop in front of him. "I don't know what I thought," she said honestly. "I just couldn't imagine you…I couldn't stand the thought…" She trailed off and when she started to say something once more, Harrison held up his hand, cutting her off.

"Despite the circumstances of the revelation of what I kept so close to me, it was bound to come out at some point and I can't fault you for what you've done," Harrison said, staring hard at her. He offered her a small, calming smile, hoping for her to relax even further. "That's not to say that I wasn't worried about you all that were still back in STAR Labs while everything had gone down."

"Where'd you go?"

The question caught him off guard for a moment. He hadn't expected anyone to confront him so quickly. He thought that he would've been able to get out of STAR Labs and back quickly enough so that no one would be the wiser. And in that moment he had the option of telling the truth or lying to her where the consequences of either option were just as bad. The horror and realization of what the truth would mean to her, but on the flipside she was a very smart woman and knew his habits enough to more than likely be weary that he could be lying to her, which would be just as bad.

"When we were thinking about what to do to help Barry and Cadence…when we were seeing the announcements that Breathtaker was giving to the city," Caitlin continued as if Harrison hadn't heard her. "We turned around and you were gone but you were at the warehouse." She took another step closer to him, kneeling down so that she wasn't towering over him. "How did you get there?"

Harrison slowly brought his lips into his mouth as he thought of the best answer to give. Letting out a slow breath, eyes squinting lightly, he tilted his head as he regarded her. "Hearing what Breathtaker was saying, I believed if I turned myself in, there would be some way I would be able to stop the two factions that had declared war against me."

"But how did you—"

"—just because I'm handicapped doesn't mean there aren't any chances for me to drive," Harrison continued. "Especially as we have numerous vehicles around STAR Labs that have the qualifications for me to continue to use my driver's license."

Caitlin gently shook her head, closing her eyes for a brief moment. "I didn't mean to imply that you—"

"—I'm very aware of what your concerns are Caitlin." Harrison reached out and held onto her hands. "And I'm very thankful of them." He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hands, frowning lightly when he noticed how cold they were, warming by the seconds as he continued to hold onto her. "I'm sorry if I worried you. But it was something I believed I had to do. Especially as Barry has done so much to help us over the course of his work as the Flash."

Nodding, Caitlin squeezed her hands back. She smiled down at him before leaning in and giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. She wanted to do nothing more than threw her arms around him and hold onto him as tightly as she could. But he couldn't bring herself to do that. Not when there was so much that had to be done, to save the city and those that had fallen victim of Breathtaker, Stratos, Harley, and Deadshot.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, there's another conversation I need to have," Harrison said. He lifted Caitlin's hand and kissed it, pausing for a moment when he felt the coolness of her hand against his lips. Then he lowered his hand and grasped the control stick and rolled out of the room and down the hallway.

"Did I do a good job?"

He heard Brady's voice before rolling into the room behind Cadence and Brady. With the young mother sitting on the floor beside the bed, the young boy sat in the middle of the blankets, looking earnestly down at her. "You did great, Bud," Cadence replied, reaching up and patting his knee. "You did exactly what we talked about if I got kidnapped. _And_ I hear that you took good care of Caitlin and Felicity."

Brady beamed as he sat up higher. "I did."

"Good job." Cadence reached up and smoothed her hair back from her face, wincing at the cut on her cheek. Tilting her head to the side, she studied him for a long moment. "I want you to know something, though. And I want you to hear it from me before anyone else. Everything that's happened since we met Barry, everything _bad_ that's happened. Has been my fault." She paused for a moment, watching as Brady's eyebrows lowered. "I've been working with the Assassination Bureau this whole time in return for money."

"I know," Brady murmured.

Harrison watched Cadence's eyes widen in surprise and he could feel his eyebrows rise as well. "You knew?"

"Mhm." Brady started to tug on his shoelaces. "They told me, when they had me. When Michael Bloom had me. Lucas was always talking about it. I found the money one day."

"And you didn't say anything?"

Brady shrugged.

There was another long silence and Cadence got up onto her knees, grasping her son's face. She looked directly into his eyes. "I don't want you think that I'm some sort of monster or something. I've made some mistakes, but everyone does. I did all of this for you, at first. I tried to get out, to keep Barry and Wells…" Harrison could hear her voice break at the mention of his name. "I tried to keep them all safe, to turn everything around, to stop them in some way. But then Leah had used her powers on me, like she had done on Michael Bloom, to keep working with them." She shook her head. "I would've stopped if I truly had a choice."

"I know," Brady repeated; voice low. "You wouldn't ever want to hurt anyone. You want to be a doctor!" His lighthearted, relaxed response made her laugh lightly. He then moved his face forward and rubbed it against hers. Causing her to laugh again and do the same to him before he wrapped his arms around her neck and shoulders, holding onto her tightly. "I love you, Momma." The fire metahuman reached up and hugged Brady to her chest, leaning back so she sat on the floor, pulling him into her lap.

The mother and son sat in silence for a while, and then Harrison wheeled around the corner and into the room. Hearing the sound of his wheels, Brady leaned back and looked over his shoulder at the man with wide-eyed wonder that every kid had until they saw the reality of life. Cadence, on the other hand, lightly glared at him.

"I don't believe that I've properly introduced myself to you," Harrison said as he came to a stop in front of them. "My name is Harrison Wells…I'm your father."

"Yeah, I got that the first time," Cadence replied. Her eyes narrowed even further as the seconds passed. "I don't believe it, but I heard it the first time."

"Despite how long it has taken for it to come out, it is the truth," Harrison insisted. "So much so that Caitlin knew about it, as I've told her not too long ago. As well as the rest of the Assassination Bureau knowing our connection as well." He tilted his head to the side as Cadence continued to breathe deeply, watching him. "Your parents are close friends of mine and had been for a long time. I met them while we were at a conference, your…father, Kent, and I spoke at length about the potential advertisements and marketing plans that could be created for the work that Tess, your mother, and I were working on."

"My mother's name is Maya!" Cadence snapped.

"Your _real_ mother's name is Tess."

"Then where is she?"

Harrison's breath hitched in his throat. "I'm afraid she passed away in a car accident. Not much longer after your tenth birthday." He cleared his throat. Cadence looked away from him. "You were adopted by the people that you now know as your parents, Kent and Maya, from me and Tess. You were born in Metropolis Hospital at three o'clock in the morning. Seven pounds and two ounces. You were in the ICU for a little while because of risk of infection. If you've noticed, your father and mother both distinctly lack dimples while yourself and your son both have them as well as Tess and myself both have them. Not to mention that you have some mannerisms that befall both of myself and Tess that you have adopted as well as it appears that you've given to Brady as well."

Brady frowned, tilting his head to the side. "You're my grandpa?" He turned back to his mother. "I have two grandpas?"

Cadence's mouth dropped open slightly as she tightened her arms around Brady. She had no idea what to say. During her silence, Harrison wheeled closer to her, hoping that in the dim light from the moonlight shining through the windows, that she would get a clear look at his face, see the resemblance, and see she was telling the truth.

"I know this is hard for you to come to terms with, but a simple DNA test will show that as the truth." A light smile graced Harrison's lips. "As a matter of fact, it's at STAR Labs. Its how Caitlin found out the truth before confronting me with it. She had been studying your blood at a molecular level, comparing it to that of Barry's and while she's done that with Cisco, herself, and myself before the comparisons—"

"Caitlin knew?!" The fire metahuman jumped on the last tidbit of information. "Did everyone else know? You purposefully left me in the dark! For what? To make a fool out of me? If what you're saying is true, then why didn't you tell me before?" She slapped herself not he chest. "This whole time, I thought you were just a family friend…you wanted me to join you guys because…." She trailed off, starting to hyperventilate as everything became clear to her. "Oh my God!"

"I know this is a lot for you to take in—"

"What did you do to me?" She demanded, cutting Harrison off. His face took on an expression of complete confusion. _What did I do to her?_ Clearly she was speaking of something other than the truth of her parentage. Something else was causing her quite a lot of obvious pain. "Leah said something about you making me into what I am today. A metahuman. But I was a metahuman before the particle accelerator explosion. I was sick in the hospital…and you were there. I remember you being there. I had got my powers after that. What did you _fucking_ do to me?!"

The ferociousness of her cry caused Brady to jump and let out a light gasp. The temperature of the room immediately spiked and beads of sweat popped up on the doctor's face. Harrison didn't beat around the bush. "I inject you with a special concoction that would keep you from your inevitable death, which, in turn, gave you your abilities."

"You made me into a metahuman?"

"What about the particle accelerator explosion?" Brady piped up.

"The particle accelerator explosion has caused whoever was in the vicinity at the time to have some sort of a reaction to it," Harrison said. "As you both were in Central City when it went off, and Cadence is already a metahuman the effects of the explosion on her and her abilities are made to be seen in battle, though lasting effects had been made as there is an abundance of dark energy in your levels. There had been a tiny sight of that when you were fighting Barry while he was under control of Bivolo."

Cadence opened her mouth to say something then fell silent once more. She gently shook her head, hugging Brady closer to her. Harrison lowered his head. "I understand that this has come out of nowhere, I wanted to tell you when I thought the time was right. Your adoption was a semi-closed one in the aspect that we weren't to tell you who we really were, but we were allowed to visit you a couple of times a year. Tess and I, after signing you away, we felt guilty about it over the years and wanted to be there for you whenever we could be. I hope I was able to do that."

He received silence once more.

Then, hearing someone approaching the room, Harrison turned around and watched as Felicity timidly poked her head into the room. "I don't mean to interrupt this family reunion," she said then squeezed her eyes shut as Harrison's stare and Cadence's glare turned her way. "That was a really bad choice of words wasn't it? I mean, you didn't know that you were actually related and everything. Let me tell you that was something even I didn't see coming…" she gave a quick smile, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb. "Barry's awake."

"Thank you, for letting us know Miss. Smoak," Harrison said with a tilt of his head. "We shall see how our favorite metahuman is doing."

* * *

Barry's eyes fluttered opened and as he stared at the ceiling for a few moments, everything came back to him. He suddenly gasped loudly and sat up straight, causing Cisco and Caitlin to jerk backwards. Barry's hands moved to his chest, running over the area that had been wounded when Bronze Tiger had stabbed him.

"Whoa! Barry, relax!" Cisco cried, grabbing onto his shoulders, trying to hold him still. "You're okay.

"Where am I?" He asked, looking around. "Bronze Tiger, he…what happened?"

Caitlin moved closer on Barry's other side. "You were stabbed by Bronze Tiger and then all of us were…zoomed out here." She looked over at Cisco, who appeared just as baffled if not intrigued as she was. She looked over at Cisco and Barry once more then chuckled. "This looks familiar doesn't it?"

Cisco grinned back. "We're just missing Lady Gaga's Poker Face blasting in the background and you asking him to pee into a cup."

Flashing back a grin of her own, Caitlin placed her hand on his shoulder. "I can still do that if you want me to."

Running his hands over his face, Barry continued to suck in desperate gasps of air. Images and memories of the fight they had been in before, flashed through his mind. He remembered it vividly, remembered the pain and fear that had rocketed through him the moment he watched the claws, in slow mo, slide through his stomach, feeling it puncture his body and come out his back. Wrapping his arms around himself, fingers spidering over the cool skin, Barry let out a sigh of relief when he realized his healing abilities had worked out once more.

"How did we get there?" He asked. His eyes shifted back and forth from Cisco to Caitlin as they exchanged glances. "What?"

"You mean you didn't bring us here?" Caitlin finally managed to ask in a light whisper.

Barry's eyebrows lowered. No. How could he have gotten them there? He had been dying, or at least thought he was. His and Cadence's plan, or half-baked plan they had worked up while in their cells, clearly hadn't worked. It was enough for a distraction, but not enough so that their friends would be able to escape. Then there had been an explosion that knocked him off his feet and he blacked out…

Or did he?

He suddenly remembered, just before blacking out completely that he had seen red lightning swirling around them. He saw the flashes every few seconds and then he was suddenly in the bed. "That's impossible," he murmured. "I wasn't the one that got everyone out of there. I don't even know where we are."

The speedy metahuman watched as realization dawned over Caitlin's and Cisco's faces. It had to have been the main in yellow. There was no one else they knew that had the ability to run at speeds as fast as Barry could. The only person that would make any sense had to have been the man in yellow.

"Well, Mr. Allen, it's good to see you awake," Harrison said as he and the others filed into the room. Felicity, Cadence, and Brady stood off to the side, watching anxiously as Team Flash moved aside for Harrison and his wheelchair. "I suppose there's a lot that you'd like to know. Unfortunately, we don't have many answers for you."

"Dr. Wells, I don't know how we got here," Barry said. He threw the sheets and blankets off of him and sat on the side of the bed. He lowered his head, running his hands over his face. "I mean, I didn't…"

"That's not of our upmost importance right now," Harrison interrupted. "What especially needs our attention at the moment is where we're going to go from here. Especially if the Arrow doesn't convene with us here. Though I don't think that will be something that'll easily happen as neither of us know where we are."

"Actually, I can ping Oliver's, Roy's, or Diggle's cell phone to see where they are in accordance to our location," Felicity remarked, bringing her phone out of her pocket. "It'd only take a few seconds and even then, I can pinpoint directly where we are."

"What if the Suicide Squad or Assassination Bureau can do the same thing?" Cisco pointed out. He looked around at everyone in the room. "Haven't you ever watched movies? That is the perfect way for anyone to get our location and blow us up! Haven't you ever heard of reverse tracking?"

"Okay, I'm the kind of person that usually finds faults in those sorts of things," Felicity pointed out. "And even then I still find it hard to enjoy. But considering the ways that these guys have already operated, I wouldn't think they would have many computer skills that could rival mine in terms of finding someone's location."

"She's right," Cadence agreed, speaking up for the first time since they gathered in the room. "None of them are particularly versed when it comes to computers or tracking people. It takes a long time of following the patterns of someone before they know what they're doing. Even then…none of us have any idea where we are."

"What about Breathtaker?" Caitlin asked her. "He's disappeared."

The fire metahuman paused before shaking her head. "The only powers I've seen from him is directly related to Leah's. He has a way of…empowering her abilities. Even then I've seen him kill someone once and he moved faster than I could see. I don't know what the extent of his abilities is; but I know the others'."

"It's not much, but it's still enough to have an advantage," Felicity pointed out.

"You may be right," Harrison agreed. He turned back to the sole member of Team Arrow. "Make sure Oliver and the others know where we are and be sure they're not followed. If there's going to be an end to this, I don't see their defeat shall be an easy task." He nodded over towards Barry. "Take care of yourself Mr. Allen, we'll need you most of all."

Barry nodded and allowed Caitlin to use what little they had to check Barry's vitals. He waited as she and Cisco poked and prodded at him then, finding nothing to be wrong, she suggested he take some more time to rest as they waited for Oliver.

Incredulously, Barry stood up, grasping his shirt from the foot of the bed. "What am I supposed to wait for?" He demanded, looking back and forth between his friends and confidants. "Am I supposed to wait for a rocket to blast through the room and blow us all up? Am I supposed to wait for Bette to blow a bomb through here? Am I supposed to wait and see if all of them out there are going to try and ambush us? I can't just sit and do nothing."

"Barry!" Cisco grasped onto Barry's shoulders, holding him still. Barry made eye contact with Cisco and was surprised to see he appeared just as betrayed as he did. That there was something deep inside him that had a sense of darkness in the young man's eyes. "You can do this," he said. "We know you can. Don't freak out on us, dude. We're going to help you anyway that we can, okay?" He removed his hands. "I want them to go down just as badly as you do."

Barry continued to study his friend as he gave the metahuman one last pat on the shoulder before turning on his heel to leave the room. Caitlin followed up by giving Barry a smile and a hug, which he returned. Then he dropped down on the side of the bed once more. Now he was just to wait? _There has to be something I can do._ His knees started to bob up and down at a rapid pace, fast enough so that they blurred. _I can't let them destroy the city like this._

"Barry?" The Flash looked over at Brady, who continued to stand at the side of the room with his mother. "I'm glad you're okay."

A fleeting smile pulled at Barry's lips. "Thanks," he said. He watched as Brady looked up at the fire metahuman, who tilted her head towards the door and he nodded, moving away from her. Caitlin reached out a hand towards Brady.

Speaking to Cadence she managed to say, "I can watch him if you—"before Cadence cut her off, shifting her gaze to Cisco. "Do you mind?" She asked. Caitlin's eyebrows furrowed together as Cisco shook his head and placed his hand on the young boy's shoulder, leading him out of the room. Caitlin followed after them, her head tilted towards the ground.

Cadence then turned back to Barry.

"I don't want to talk to you," he said under his breath. He truly didn't. Despite having come up with a plan to try to break out of their captivity, he couldn't let her off the hook that easily. He couldn't forgive her that easily. There were too many unforgiveable things she had done. Too many things he couldn't think about without shaking with rage. _Stay calm, Barry. Don't lose control._

"You don't have to," she said. "I just need you to listen."

"I don't want to listen either." Barry continued to hold his hands over his mouth, tapping his feet up and down. He didn't allow his heels to fall onto the ground, allowing his feet to move faster and faster as the seconds passed. He felt like breaking out and running as fast as his feet could carry him. To allow himself to run away from the anger and frustration that continued to pulse through his body. To allow himself to finally get away from the things haunting him.

 _If only I hadn't been taken over by Bivolo,_ he thought. If he hadn't allowed himself to think he could handle thing so his own, to think that he hadn't been whammied by Bivolo at all, things would be different. He would be in a better headspace to come to terms with everything that had come his way within the last couple of hours. He had been followed. Stalked. Watched by someone he thought was growing to be a great friend all so in the end he and Dr. Wells would be captured and killed. _None of this would be happening right now. I would have seen this coming._

"I know that you feel that I've done the worst thing," Cadence said. Barry snorted but the fire metahuman continued undeterred. "But right now I don't want you to think about that. I want to be able to make things right." She paused, waiting for a reaction. "I know how you feel; with what I've learned recently…I feel like everything I've ever known is a lie. And I know I've made you feel like that too. A lot of my decisions were very selfish and I'm sorry but it wasn't all my fault. I didn't have a choice most of the time."

"You tried to kill me!" Barry broke out, cutting her off. "That's so much worse than hearing your parentage is different. I had to sit there and listen to them tell me how you were trying to set me up to be killed. How _you_ were waiting for the right moment to do that! And to Dr. Wells! When we've done nothing but try to help you this entire time!" He laughed an incredulous, cruel laugh before shaking his head, turning his gaze to the ground. One thing he had to say positively, she was dedicated to give her point of view, to prove to him that she was indeed sorry.

Still, Barry was stubborn.

It was going to take more than that.

"Barry." Cadence grabbed onto Barry's arm and turned him around. Her eyes shone meaningfully as they searched his when she forced him to face her. "You don't have to trust me; I honestly don't blame you that you don't. But I need your help."

"Why?"

"Because it's the only way that Central City will be saved."

Barry looked back into her eyes and found nothing but sincerity and loyalty. She truly did want to make things right. "How am I supposed to know you're not going to turn around and stab me in the back again?" He breathed.

"Because when this is all over, I'll tell you everything," Cadence said. "I'll tell you when I got to Central City, why I came here, why I lied about it. Everything. You may not trust me, you may not even forgive me, but you have to believe everything I'm saying. I want to be able to make this right. None of this would've happened if it weren't for me. But none of this can be over without me, I know how the Assassination Bureau works and I have an idea to take them down. But I need your help."

She held out her hand, her eyes boring into Barry's.

Barry looked back at her, took a deep breath and grasped her hand in his, shaking it firmly.

She was right. He didn't have to trust her, but he had to believe that they were going to save the city.


	32. Flash Fire (7)

**.:32:.**

* * *

Oliver leaned forward in his seat as he strained to see out the passenger window. In the back of the van, Roy kneeled beside Stratos, who bounced around with the movements of the van, glancing out the windows on his side as well. They had to be ready in case there was an ambush coming their way. Deadshot had gotten away, Breathtaker had run off as soon as the battle against Central City had commenced, and Harley had been left on the roof of STAR Labs.

Who knows what was to happen if they let their guards down.

"Dig; do you know where we're going?" Oliver asked, turning back to his best friend, who sat hunched towards the steering wheel, grasping it tightly between his hands. "Have you gotten the coordinates that Felicity sent you?"

"Oliver, relax, I'm going where I'm being directed," Diggle said, briefly glancing away from the road.

Oliver shot his friend a terse glance before leaning back in his seat. Relax was not a word in his vocabulary, not when there was so much that had to be done. Not when his city was more than likely to be run down by criminals the longer he stayed away, not when the Suicide quad and Assassination Bureau were wreaking havoc on Central City. Not when they were going after metahuman, being he had never come across before, not sure how they were going to restore the city to what it was once before once everything managed to be remedied.

"We need to come up with a plan that's going to contain the Suicide Squad and the Assassination Bureau," Oliver pointed out. He paused for a brief moment. "Is there anything in your work with them that you think will help us? We have the advantage if Deadshot and Harley managed to get away but we're holding onto Stratos. It seems to me that the Assassination Bureau is the one that's in charge of this whole thing." He watched as Diggle let out a light snort, shaking his head. "I don't believe anything that I've said was that funny."

"It is, Oliver, if you don't truly understand what it is that the Suicide Squad can do." Shifting in his seat, Diggle concentrated not he road once more. "If you have some sort of a connection to the Suicide Squad and you think you're living your life on your own terms, you'd be surprised to find out that it's all been orchestrated from under Amanda Waller's intention. She has the means of making you think that you're living wonderfully, and then tear it out from underneath you in a matter of seconds all because of her want to get ahead for one reason or another."

Oliver briefly closed his eyes, lowering his head. He could hear the pain in Diggle's voice and commiserated with him. He understood what it was like to lose someone under such strange and unfamiliar circumstances. When thinking of one that was going to pass, an older relative came to mind, where the rest of the family played a waiting game; thinking about the inevitable end but trying to play it off as well. They weren't supposed to have shot themselves after having escaped a sinking ship, just so that the remaining survivors had a better chance of making it back home alive. They weren't supposed to be marked for death by someone that wanted someone else dead, and then sacrifice themselves for their children. Sacrificing moments of time was what was to be expected; maybe even a figurative version of life, but no one should ever be put into the position of having to literally do it.

The remaining thoughts of his mother and father, of Shado and Sara, having lost his sister for a brief moment of his life…everyone he had lost, it was all due to him. He could handle that, he could get through it. He wouldn't allow Barry to go through the same things in Central City, not when he was such a beacon of light and hope for the residents. Barry had already gone through most of his life with the tragedy of losing his mother and father on the same night, despite his father still being alive, he didn't want to the young man run down the same path Oliver had himself.

 _He can be a bit annoying about his happiness and excitement over his newfound responsibility, but at least he has the heart that's needed to go far,_ Oliver thought. Licking his lips his mind briefly turned towards those in Team Flash. They all worked well together and seemed to have the same goal in mind, working the best way they could to reach that goal. A light smile pulled at Oliver's lips. _I only hope we can do the same._

"I think we're coming close, Diggle," Roy said as he turned to the other side of the van and looked out the window. "It's been a while since we passed the last house."

"Good looking out, Roy," Diggle replied. He glanced at the illuminated screen that rested in between the driver's and passenger's seats. He took a deep breath. "Good looking out." Diggle turned off the lights in the cabin of the van as well as the headlights and parked the car up at the coordinates that Felicity had given him and turned off the car. Pulling up his hood, Oliver rolled into the backseat with Roy and pulled back his bow, pointing an arrow at Stratos's jugular. "May I remind you that I can move faster than you can blink?"

Stratos looked at him calmly, albeit a bit lazily. Or was that haughtiness Oliver saw in the blond's blue eyes? The weather manipulating metahuman allowed himself to be forcibly pushed and pulled out of the back of the van via Roy and Oliver as Diggle came around the back holding onto a pistol. He made a show of motioning towards the pistol that sat in the holster situated on his waistband then turned on his heel and made his way towards the expansive house that sat atop a hill.

Oliver continued to hold the bow and arrow towards Stratos's back as Roy took the lead, right behind Diggle. Shifting his gaze every few seconds, Oliver cased the area around them and the house, waiting for a sort of sneak attack that would befall them. He only relaxed as they made it to the house without any of his senses alerting them to hidden danger. The sound of their footsteps in the foyer caused an instant commotion.

"Oliver!" The Arrow only managed to lower his hood before he was crushed in Felicity's grasp of a hug. He could feel her worry radiating through her and relaxed a little, bringing up his arms and hugging her back. "What took you so long?" She asked, taking a step back, resting her hands on his shoulders as she gazed over him for obvious signs of trauma. "We thought once they saw we had left…" gently shaking her head, the end of her ponytail bobbing at her movement. "Did something happen?"

"We got a little souvenir," Diggle commented, motioning over to Stratos, who continued to stand in the foyer amongst the vigilantes of Starling City. His comment caused Felicity to turn towards him and she gave him and Diggle a hug as well, as if only just noticing them. "Deadshot and Harley got away; he's the only one we could salvage."

Felicity's eyes narrowed into a hard stare towards Stratos, her voice suddenly turned from the worry that had been directed towards Oliver to frost as she regarded Stratos. "Better one than none."

"Come on in here," Caitlin, who had been standing quietly behind the reunion of Team Arrow, motioned them towards the open room behind them. "Just in case we're being watched. There's so much that we need to catch up on." She turned her gaze to the stairs as there was the sound of a rhythmic thump and Oliver glanced over and watched as Dr. Wells carefully navigated his wheelchair down the stairs.

Where his chair would normally have been able to navigate the flat portions of walkway via the use of the electronic motor placed in his chair, he now leaned back as far as he could, placing his hands on top of the larger wheels, carefully rolling himself down. Once he was clear of the stairs, there was a sudden gust of wind accompanied by a yellow streak and Oliver blinked in surprise when he found Barry standing in front of him.

The two looked at each other for a long moment, uncertainty suddenly filling the air. The last real conversation they had was when Barry was telling him off for trying to give him pointers on how to be a superhero. Despite the fact that Barry had been under the influence of Bivolo at the time, the vigilante was sure that a portion of what Barry had said, had been the truth. Or that the young man had been feeling it on some sort of level, but was too nice and likeable to say it to his face.

Clearing his throat, Barry rubbed the back of his neck, slowly walking over to the Starling City vigilante. "Look, Oliver, I'm…I'm really sorry about what I said," Barry apologized. He kept his head low, though raised his eyes to meet Oliver's, peeking out from underneath his eyelashes. "It was stupid and, I know that being whammied by Bivolo is no excuse, but I shouldn't have said those things."

"Barry…" Oliver thought for a moment, working out the best words to say. "When it comes to working in the sort of field that we do, that a few select like us do, there comes a time where you have to realize that not everyone is going to like what you're doing. Not everyone is going to stand behind you." Barry gazed at him in confusion, lowering his hands to the pockets of his jeans. His eyes were alive with bright earnest; ready to take in whatever it was that Oliver was going to tell him. "It is during that time we have to come together and help the best way we can. You've helped me, Barry, in realizing that my way of dealing with things isn't always the right way to do deal with things. You've taught me a lot and I hope I've taught you a lot, too." He approached Barry and placed his hand on the speedy metahuman's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too." Barry paused, face screwing up in confusion. "I mean, yeah. I'm glad everything with you guys are okay, too." The side of Oliver's mouth lifted, causing Barry to beam and the two went to join the others in the living room.

"Good to see you made it to your grandmother's house, Little Red," Cadence remarked as soon as she set her eyes upon him. Roy smirked and shrugged, before accepting the hug that the fire metahuman gave him. "I'm glad you're okay." She then turned to Diggle and Oliver, taking a step towards them. "Considering everything that's been revealed…you may not believe me or trust me, but I'm glad you guys are okay, too."

Oliver sniffed loudly, clasping his hands together behind his back. There was a part of him that didn't know what to think. Betrayal and mistrust were something he couldn't completely wrap his head around, especially when having to work with them again. But Brady and Caitlin had both stepped up and told him they didn't believe it, that she had been used by the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau. As he had seen from the Suicide Squad so far, from what he heard from Diggle, despite his grievances, he was inclined to believe it.

"It's good to see that you're okay as well," he replied. And as he looked at her, he thought about how little he knew Cadence, despite the times they had come into contact at the highly publicized functions their parents attended. He remembered the times where he had chased her and Thea around with frogs and bugs, and whatever other gross things he could find to torment them. The two had told the truth when they said they didn't really have a relationship other than being acquaintances, and if the others could see something he couldn't, he had to listen. "Has there been anything we need to know while we've been gone?"

"How did you get away?" Diggle added.

A strange silence filled the room as Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco exchanged glances. What was to be said? How strange would it be if they told Team Arrow what their suspicions were, that the man that had killed Barry's mother had rescued them. What would they say after that? How could they even come close to explaining it? It wouldn't be that difficult for Oliver and the others to explain, not when they were seeing metahumans and how they worked first hand. It was different than working with against the criminals, drug lords, and other big name convicts that seemed to have it out for him as the Arrow, his father's work, or had something against the city in general.

"I don't even know," Felicity said, scratching the back of her head. "There was this bright flash of light and all of a sudden we were out here."

"We think it might have been the man in yellow," Cisco said. He held up his hands as all eyes turned towards him in confusion. Harrison shifted in his seat, resting his arm and his upper body weight on one side of the wheelchair. "I know, call us crazy. Maybe it's a whole Scar-Mufasa-Simba thing going on, but that's the only explanation I can come up with." From Cisco's side, Brady laughed quietly. He knew there was nothing he could do to help at the moment, but listened to the conversation nevertheless. "A plan to try and escape didn't work and, Barry was hurt, even with his rapid cell regeneration, there was no way that he could have gotten all of us out of there like that."

Roy crossed his arms. "Do you think the man in yellow is on our side?" He scratched the side of his jaw. "I've seen stranger things working with Oliver, Dig, and Felicity, but even that seems strange."

"We don't have any answers on that aspect so far," Caitlin remarked. "But it's not what we should be worrying about. Right now, who knows what's happening with Central City while we're here."

"Deadshot, Harley, and Breathtaker got away," Oliver explained, still holding his confident stance of holding his clasped hands together behind his back. "And if you're all here, that means that the rest of the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau now have the chance to continue with their plan of turning the city against Dr. Wells and against each other." He turned his attention to Stratos, who continued to stand by Roy, silent, watching as the conversation moved around him. "He's the only one that we have that can give us an idea as to what we're going against."

Rolling his eyes, Stratos turned his head to the side, allowing his blonde fringe to fall into his face. Though the moonlight that continued to stream through the windows around them, the scar on his face was visible, a malicious reminder of what he had been through during his time with the Assassination Bureau.

"I'm not going to tell you anything," he remarked. "Not that it would matter. None of you can save Central City. It's too late."

Diggle turned back to Stratos, pulling his handgun from his pocket and pressed it against Stratos's neck. His skin bunched up around the barrel of the gun and the metahuman's blue eyes tilted down towards the gun. Though it wasn't seen in his face, his eyes dilated just slightly, aware that he was not impervious to bullets being blasted towards his skin.

"Do you want to repeat that?" He asked as Roy came up to Stratos's other side, pointing his bow and arrow at him. "I don't think it'll be particularly pleasant to be speaking out of a stump rather than your head."

Silence continued to stretch out in the room.

"That's it, isn't it?" Cadence's voice grabbed the other's attention. Oliver looked over at her as she took a step forward and cross the room to stand in front of her former-conspirator. "You know you're dispensable, just like I was." Her eyes flashed back and forth between Diggle and Roy. "That's why you're not talking. You're a pawn in Breathtaker's plan just like the rest of us were, but he's brainwashed you on his own, he hasn't needed Leah's help because you, Lucas, are weak, and want to do anything to bring yourself higher up in the eyes of the man in charge."

Stratos's eyes turned from defiance to a fiery fury. He moved towards Cadence but Diggle smacked him on the back of the head with a well placed pistol whip, bringing him to his knees. "You wanted to throw me under the bus with the murder of the Mayor, to speed along you plan if you got caught." Reaching out she grabbed onto the back of his head, taking a fistful of his hair, and pulled it back. "I don't know if you noticed but you're not with them now, and we have the power in this situation."

The corner of his lip turned up in a smirk and Stratos let out a low whistle. "Good to know that you can do whatever job is appointed of you, Brigade." He cried out in pain, starting to write around, as Cadence's eyes narrowed. She released her grasp on Stratos's hair and continued to look down at him with a narrowed glare until Harrison said her voice.

"Cadence." It was said quietly yet firmly, the word loaded with as much power as a yell or a snarl.

The fire metahuman glanced at him then her eyes returned to the normal size, allowing Stratos a reprieve. He lay on the floor, gasping for air once the pain subsided. "That was for continuously checking up on me."

"What are we going to do with him?" Caitlin asked. "We can't just leave him here. We don't know if it'll bring them to us and if they do, if we can beat them."

"And even if we don't draw them out, which would actually be a clever attack for an ambush," Felicity amended, lightly pointing at her. "We don't have the technology here to take them down. Not unless Oliver and Roy have arrows shoved in other places we can't see." Cisco was the first to laugh lightly, before bringing his hands up to over his mouth. Then Caitlin sucked her lips into her mouth and Barry and Oliver lowered their heads, trying not to catch her gaze. This clued Felicity in on the fact she had said something wrong. "God, you'd think I would stop doing that by now."

"Don't quit your day job, Felicity," Roy remarked.

Bringing a hand up to her forehead, Harrison rubbed the skin, working out the tension before placing his arms on the chair. He lightly pressed his thumb into the joystick and turned his wheelchair around so that he could face all of the young adults that stood before him.

"What needs to come to the forefront at the moment is that we have something our opponents would find valuable." Harrison nodded at Stratos and Cadence. "Two of them," he added. "It's something we can use to our advantage against them. Of course we all know that this is going to come to the fact that we're to be taking down Breathtaker as he seems to be the one that is holding the power over the others."

Oliver licked his lips, his voice growing with power as he continued to speak. "We need to take back this city. This city will come back to the glory it once was. I have made it my mission to not fail Starling City, but I will not fail this city, either. Not when I know that we are capable of taking down everything that comes our way." He turned to Barry. "Not when we have someone that understands these kinds of people at our lead."

Barry's eyes widened, his eyebrows rising at the same time. He then pointed to himself. "Me?" He asked. "I…I don't know."

"He's right, Mr. Allen," Harrison insisted. "You can do this. You've done harder things before. Show this city that you're something more than a myth, a story that can be read on a blog." His eyes flashed for a moment when Barry lowered his head at the mention of Iris. "Your heart resides in helping people, and it is with that passion that you'll continue to grow and give them something to believe in."

"Okay. Well, the first thing we're going to have to do is get back to STAR Labs…"

* * *

Oliver gently shook his head as he watched the news broadcast of the city. It looked like a bomb had hit the city, if not that there had been many riots. As far as he could tell, there were still many things wrong with the city, despite the lack of the further attacks. Fires raged in store fronts and street corners, papers and trash was strewn out in the streets, every now and then Central City residents could be seen racing around the city in the background of the telecast.

Shaking his head, Oliver let out a low breath and placed his hands on his hips. He then shifted his weight from foot to foot. He couldn't sit still. There was so much that had to be done and none of it could be started until they found the two factions that were working together. And as they waited, he couldn't stand to see the same thing that had happened to his city when it had been announced that Malcolm Merlyn and his mother had created a plan that would have immediately influenced the decimation of the Glades. All of the chaos that had spread through the city like wildfire was something he had never wanted to see again.

He closed his eyes as the image of his mother appeared in his head. He remembered the feeling of his heart sinking into his gut when that press conference had aired on TV, how there was an immediate backlash, how the residents of the Glades had dissolved into anarchy and rushed to get out of the Glades as soon as possible, taking every chance they got to do what they thought they could before the bombs went off.

Before he had gotten onto that boat with his father, Sara, and the others…he hadn't really known what it was like to care about someone else. Even though he loved Laurel at the time, he was cheating on her with her sister, and since then had other women that he had brought along. Before turning into the Vigilante, the Hood, and the Arrow he didn't think much of the lives of the others and how he affected them. This time around, it was all he could think and worried about, and would be damned if he couldn't help in some way.

"You can't blame yourself, Oliver." Glancing over his shoulder, Oliver watched as Felicity walked towards him, her fingers gently laced together as she approached. "None of us would've thought this was going to happen when we followed the boomerang here to Central City." She smiled lightly at her joke, one of the few that didn't have an inappropriate connotation.

"I should've seen it coming," Oliver murmured. "Somehow, I should've known there was going to be something like this that would happen here."

"I understand that part, I just don't understand why you believe it's your responsibility," Felicity continued. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Barry and the others have been doing a good job with the metahumans that seem to arrive here in droves. It's not under your job description to deal with metas."

"Oh, is that what they call them?" Oliver's comment received a light swat on the arm from the IT girl. "I hear what you're saying, Felicity. And I feel like I've taught Barry everything he needs to know, but I'm still very…I'm not sure if…"

"You're worried about him. You care about him more than you originally thought because before he was just this…bumbling forensic scientist that tricked you so that he could figure out what happened to his mother. But now he's growing into his own as a sort of vigilante for Central City and you don't want to see him get hurt."

A smile was her only sense of confirmation.

"Oliver Queen, you like Barry Allen, don't you? He's like…your little brother and as much as he can annoy you, you don't want anything to happen to him." Oliver continued to stay silent, though he could feel his resolve weakening. Barry Allen certainly was someone else. "I think it's sweet."

"I'm glad you do." Oliver and Felicity smiled at each other for a long moment before Oliver sensed a presence behind them and turned to find Roy watching the two, his eyes moving back and forth between the two. "What's going on, Roy?"

"It's time to suit up," Roy replied.

Oliver nodded and he and Felicity followed him out of the office and into the cortex. Caitlin, Cisco, and Harrison were already hard at work, studying levels and reaching graphs in front of them. Felicity hurried to an empty computer and logged in. Barry and Cadence stood in their suits, masking features down as they waited for the archers to get suited as well. The familiar feeling of initial butterflies erupted in his stomach and he did his best to blow them away.

Now wasn't the time to have that tiny thought in the back of his head, that tiny feeling to remind himself that he may not come back from the impending skirmish. If there was anything the five years on the island had taught him, it was to push away emotional feelings and work with an empty head. When he and Roy left the holding area of the suits, Barry immediately turned to them.

"Everybody knows what they're doing, right?" He asked them. "Arrow and Arsenal are going to stay up top and handle the long-range attacks and Brigade and I will handle the short range and get as close to Breathtaker as we can." He motioned to Diggle, who stood beside Stratos, who continue to be bound. "Diggle will make the drop and we'll go on from there."

"And please, be careful," Felicity added. "I already had a conversation with Diggle about this before and he almost didn't keep his promise."

"If the love fest is over, we've got a lock on the metas," Cisco called from his computer. With Caitlin at his side, she leaned in to watch the feed and turned back to the superheroes, saying, "You may be outnumbered, but you can do it if you keep a cool head and stick on the plan that we've all come up with."

"Kick their butts!" Brady added.

Harrison smiled, chuckling lightly at the boy's exuberance. "You have all of us behind you, and we'll be with you every step of the way."

Barry nodded, pulling his hood up over his face. Cadence lifted her goggles up over her eyes as well. He looked over the group, and they nodded back to him, before he started out of the room.

"Hey Barry," Cadence stopped him as she called his name. He, Oliver, and Roy turned towards her. "Call me Flash Fire."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to update this. It took me a while to get the time back into crossposting it all here. I hope you guys are still following along and enjoying the story. Though it is on FFN in its entirety on the profile DarkElements10.


	33. Fighting Fire With Fire (8)

**.:33:.**

* * *

Barry, Cadence, Oliver, Roy, and Diggle all lied in wait at their points of position, watching and listening as Central City was momentarily at rest. There weren't any explosions, no screams in the distance. For the moment, everything was still.

Diggle continued to sit behind his box of crates, deep in the shadows, waiting for any member of the Suicide Squad or Assassination Bureau to come their way. Back at STAR Labs, they had sent a message out to A.R.G.U.S. letting them know that they had someone from the Assassination Bureau and that they'd be willing to do a trade for Breathtaker. Of course, they were highly aware that the man behind the destruction of Central City wasn't going to give up that easily. No. They were very aware of that, especially with the Suicide Squad in tow. Instead, they were going to do the ambushing before SS-AB got the chance.

Letting out a deep breath, Diggle continued to wait, peering around towards Stratos, who continue to be bound and gagged within the middle of downtown Central City. A lone streetlight cast an eerie glow around him. Up on the roofs of nearby buildings, Arrow and Arsenal waited with arrows pointed down towards him while Flash and Flash Fire kneeled, waiting for their moment to go down and strike whomever came too close. Though he steeled himself, to allow his senses to alert him towards a sniper scope that Deadshot was more than likely hiding behind. But he felt nothing than his continuously mounting anxiety as he waited for some sort of movement.

Tightening his grip on the handle of his pistol, he steeled himself as a wave of…something washed over him. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and a shiver went down his spine once more before he shifted to the side, staring with wide eyes as he came to face with Breathtaker. Or, at least, he thought he was face to face with the metahuman. He could see nothing under the red clock other than glowing white eyes and hands. He couldn't see any formation of a face or a body, but nevertheless the cloak formed what appeared to be a head and shoulders before it lightly touched the ground.

Breathtaker reached out and lowered Diggle's outstretched arms. "You should be careful," Breathtaker whispered; voice as dry as fall leaves. "You could take an eye out with that."

 _"Dig, what's going on?"_ He could hear Felicity's voice through his earpiece.

" _We're getting some strange readings coming by you, are you alright?"_ Caitlin added.

Diggle tried to say something, continuing to stare at Breathtaker, but it was like he was transfixed in place. His body was numb, paralyzed; he couldn't even shift his eyes to the side nor twitch his fingers. No, all he could do was blink up towards the metahuman.

Up on the rooftop, as Team Flash and Team Arrow heard Felicity's and Caitlin's voices through their earpieces—Cisco having installed one into Cadence's suit—and immediately turned their attention back towards where Stratos had just been. He was gone, with a thin trial of mist disappearing from the area. Oliver let out a growl, clenching his hand into a fist before bringing his hand up to his ear as well. "Stratos got away. Why weren't we alerted something was going on?"

 _"I don't know, man,"_ Cisco broke in. _"Our readings are going out of control. One minute it says there's nothing going on, the next our charts are reading off the map."_ There was the sound of clacking before Cisco let out a curse. _"I don't know what it is, but you guys are going to have to figure it out, now!"_

"Guys, we've got trouble!" Roy declared. He was situated in Diggle's direction, arm pulled back as he held onto a bow, ready to shoot it towards Breathtaker. "I'm at a good angle to get a good shot. I just don't want to bring Diggle down with him."

"Don't do it," Cadence called, holding up her hand. From the rooftop she was on, she stayed crouched low; a light glow from her hands illuminated her chest and face, the rest cast in shadows. "I can't tell you what the limits of his powers are, there's a lot he can do. But let me remind you that he's named _Breathtaker_ for a reason." She shook her head. "He's using him against us, just like we were going to do with Stratos." She let out a growl of frustration, teeth clenching, fire immediately surrounding her hands.

"If we're going to do something, we have to do it now!" Roy declared, still holding onto the arrow, waiting for his signal. They hadn't anticipated Breathtaker being the one that was going to come out and make himself vulnerable to them. And now here he was, doing God knows what to Diggle.

Barry immediately zoomed off of the rooftop, appearing on the ground behind Diggle in a matter of seconds. Then Cadence teleported and re-appeared beside her team-mate. Roy lowered his bow and turned to follow Oliver's lead. The Arrow paused for a moment, gritting his teeth at Barry's brazenness before following the others off the roof.

Diggle continued to stare into Breathtaker's face, blinking rapidly as he felt the gust of wind that only came when Barry was around. Then he smelt smoke, hearing a low poofing sound, and knew Cadence was with him as well. It was only a matter of seconds until he heard the familiar sounds of arrows coming his way.

Breathtaker, though, appeared undaunted by the sudden brigade that appeared behind his foe. He hovered back a few steps, clapping his hands together. "I must say that this will be one of the more interesting bounties I've ever come across. The heads of those that have been taking care of this city and that of Starling as well. The Flash…the Arrow…and then taking over the city, running our Harrison Wells, and allowing the metahumans to take over."

Pulling his arm back, Oliver strung an arrow and held it towards Breathtaker at point blank. "Leave Central City, break ties with the Suicide Squad, or you'll lose _your_ head."

A light sigh escaped Breathtaker. He then held up his hand and there was an invisible force that struck them in the chest, knocking the heroes onto their backs. Diggle fell to this side, suddenly able to move once more, his gun skittering out of his hand and across the ground. Breathtaker held up his hand one more and the gun lifted in the air before moving back towards Breathtaker, it being replaced in his hand. Confused, Diggle stared back at him, catching his breath from his formerly paralyzed lungs.

"I don't want this to be easy," Breathtaker remarked. "As a matter of fact I've always enjoyed a little bit of fight in my victims before I kill them." He gently raised his hands. "Please, don't mind me taking away your captive, it was actually very smart. I want to commend you on that. However, I don't think it's very fair for our inevitable fight. I want to be sure I know what I'm going against before I take my bounty." He lifted a hand and snapped his fingers.

Almost instantly chaos erupted over Central City amongst the sounds of explosions and scattering bullets.

 _"There's been a sudden influx of activity all over Central City from the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau, you have to stop them before the city is entirely reduced to rubble,"_ Harrison's voice came over their ear-pieces.

Barry hesitated. "But Dr. Wells, we can't just—"

_"If he's giving you the chance to run away, Barry, then I suggest you take it or else you're going to have even more guilt than you can possible imagine. You have the speed, Barry, use it. There are more important things to deal with at the moment and we don't have the time to sit here and argue about it. I'm telling you, saving Central City is more important than capturing Breathtaker. Now, run, Barry. Run!"_

Barry took one last look at Breathtaker and despite not being able to see his face underneath his hood; he knew the metahuman was smiling. "It'll be a pleasure once we meet again, Flash." He suddenly rocketed into the air and out of sight.

Growling, the Flash turned on his heel and raced from sight.

Oliver, Roy, Diggle, and Cadence, under Harrison's orders, turned and went back to their original plan. They were to pick off the Suicide Squad and the Assassination Bureau one by one and meet up to take down Breathtaker at the end.

They could only hope things worked out.

* * *

Iris crept around the corner of what had been the lobby of Eddie's apartment building. She had been waiting for him in his apartment to have dinner together when the whole city had gone up in flames. As soon as she had heard the first explosion, she turned on the TV to see what was going on. Then she had seen that strange…thing on the news, talking about how the city was going to be overrun by metahumans and how it was all Harrison Wells' fault. Before she had a chance to come to terms with what was going on, there were even more explosions and erupting chaos that swept up her apartment building.

Her first thoughts had moved to her father, Eddie, and Barry, knowing they were somewhere out in the city and in trouble. She had tried to leave the apartment building, but the steady stream of people trying to get off the streets had pushed her back inside the building. Now, the apartment building was closed off, no one allowed in our out as the residents' safety was important.

But Iris was never one that was able to sit still. It wasn't just the men that she loved most in her life that was out there, it was her family and she wasn't going to sit back and allow her family to be in trouble without knowing there was some way she could help. There had to be something wrong if Joe, Eddie, nor Barry had returned any of her frantic calls to them. She couldn't sit there and wait for them to come back. Even if she had to put her own life on the line, she was going to help anyway she could.

As she crept through the lobby of the apartment building, she could see residents of Central City all huddled together in nearly every area, to get some solace. There were some covered in blankets with soot resting on their foreheads and cheeks, gulping down as much water as possible, others were being looked at by medical personnel with as little tools they could use, and others were sitting quietly, talking amongst themselves. It didn't look like there was anyone that was watching her as she moved towards the rear of the building's exit.

She knew her way there perfectly for the few times she had to rush out as her father made unexpected calls to Eddie's apartment to get started on a case that required their immediate attention. Other times being that she was very close to being late for her classes at CCU and needed to make a quick getaway. Blasting out in the alleyway behind the building, she hurried out to the street edge. There were low explosions coming from another part of the city, but close enough so that she felt the ground rumble beneath her feet.

"Okay, Iris, where to start?" She whispered to herself before hurrying down the street in the direction on CCPD headquarters. It was a risk she was willing to take, by then there was probably no one left at the precinct. But if that guy… _Breathtaker,_ she reminded herself, having heard his name on the newscast, had been telling the truth about those metahumans, then the CCPD were probably no match for it.

Central City was deserted, looking much like a warzone, as Iris ran as hard and as fast as she could. Trash cans spilled over in the streets, there were hollowed out cars sitting in their parked spots not he sides of the road, storefronts were broken into, and as she continued to run, she could see people in the distance zigzagging back and forth across the street, unsure where to go. Still, she pushed as hard as she could towards the CCPD, only coming to a stop as she rounded a block and found Harley standing in front of her.

She grinned as she bobbed her rifle up and down in her hand. Iris took a deep breath, slowly walking towards Harley, her feet having a mind of their own. "You're that…woman we saw in that store," she said to Harley. "That girl that was stopped by security."

Harley bobbed her head back and forth, her ponytails bobbing as she did so. "At least those men treated me nicely. That Green Arrow guy stuck something in my neck!" She reached up with her free hand and rubbed her neck, pouting lightly. "I thought being rough-housed was sexy, but being date raped isn't something any girl asks for."

A light tremor went through Iris's body. She could tell just from the way this girl talked, that there was something wrong with her. Something other than the menacing way she was holding onto her rifle. Whatever it was, Iris wasn't going to stick around to find out. She turned on her heel and started to run, but was stopped when she heard the action of the gun being pumped, a stronger chill rolling down her spine.

"Turn around," Harley instructed, voice suddenly cold. Bringing her hands up over her head, Iris did as she was told. She turned back towards Harley and noticed she had a gun pointed directly towards her heart, blue eyes flat and lifeless. "That's a good girl." Harley slowly started to walk towards her. "You see, I don't think there's anything wrong with you. My guess is that you're just trying to get to your family, right?" Iris nodded. "I know the feeling, all of my family is back in Gotham, but this was something I couldn't refuse. If I didn't do this, then my sentence would be extended and I'd be away from my puddin' for too long. He needs me."

Iris swallowed thickly, doing her best to keep her steady gaze on the girl in front of her. Harley reached her and moved her rifle aside, staring hard into Iris's eyes. Then she let out a light tsking sound before reaching out and running her hand over the African-American woman's hair. "It's such a shame that us girls get treated like this, expected to wait around for our men. But we're in love, right? That's what we're supposed to do." Her face darkened and she pulled the gun up once more, this time pressing t underneath Iris's chin. "Sorry, chick, but I'm just following orders. To send a message, prove a point, to let them know we mean business."

Harley brought her free hand up to the trigger of the rifle. All of a sudden there was the sound of a rock being kicked, a stone overturned in the alleyway beside them. As Harley's attention was turned towards the alley, Iris leapt out of the way of the rifle and towards the, thankfully empty, garbage can that sat half on the sidewalk, half in the street.

"Hey!" Harley cried once she noticed that her victim had moved out of her line of sight. Iris grabbed onto the handle of the trash can and swung around, flinging it towards Harley. The Suicide Squad member had been late to react and caught the trash can in the middle of her face. Iris quickly followed it up with a straight jab to the stomach and a roundhouse kick to the head.

Falling to the ground, Harley rolled across her shoulders and lifted her rifle, taking aim once more. Iris ducked out the way as a spray of bullets raced towards her, until she heard the sound stop once more. She turned back around to see Harley had gotten to her feet and raced towards Iris once more, face red with rage, making her blue eyes stand out even further.

"You're going to _pay_ for that!" Harley cried.

She had only just gotten the last word out of her mouth before Eddie and Joe raced out of the alleyway, pointing their guns towards Harley. "Freeze!" Joe cried, keeping his gun pointed directly between her eyes. "Move a muscle and kiss your head goodbye."

"Iris!" Eddie hurried up to her side and Iris turned, immediately wrapping her arms around his neck when he was close enough.

"Eddie! Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Iris squeezed him tightly before stepping back, keeping her hands on his shoulders. "What's going on? I saw on the news…there's…" She didn't know what to say. Having a gun shoved in your face had a way of making sure that you lost your words pretty quickly.

"We don't know for sure," Eddie replied, hugging her to him once more. "There's been so much going on around the city. This Breathtaker guy…we think there's some sort of a biological weapon that has been released that's caused the people here to go crazy. Considering what it was that this guy has said, there's a good chance that Harrison Wells is going to be arrested if he can be linked to the crime."

"What?" Iris barely managed to get the word out. Surely he didn't believe that the man that had helped keep Barry alive was single-handedly capable to ruin the city like this. Yes, the particle accelerator had caused injury, death and destruction, but that had been an accident. This was something that was being done on purpose.

"We don't have time to talk about it," Joe interrupted with a snap over his shoulder. "We have to get Iris out of here and to safety."

"No!" Iris protested. She stared hard at her father, practically daring him to tell her to go home. She wasn't going anywhere until she was sure everyone was safe. "I'm staying here."

"Iris, I'm not going to argue with you about it."

"She's just as safe with us as she is somewhere else," Eddie quickly defended Iris. "We can't allow her to go home right now when we're not even sure there's a home for her to go to." Iris gave him a grateful look and she turned back to her father just in time to see Harley bringing a mallet—which Iris had no idea where she could've produced such a weapon—high over her head and swing it down towards Joe, who was turning back towards Harley. "Dad! Look out!" she desperately cried.

Joe, Eddie, and Iris watched as Harley's mallet started to fall down, but was suddenly engulfed by a rush of flames. Iris brought her hands up over her face, shielding herself from the sudden light, as Harley let out a scream of fury.

"You bastard!" She cried as she fell to her knees, trying to scoop together the remaining ashes of her mallet. "I should have your head, you dumbass!"

Iris turned to the side, mouth dropping open when she spotted the burning man standing across the street. Her lower jaw dropped open when she caught sight of the story she had written about. His head and hands truly were engulfed in fire, so much so that she couldn't see anything of the man's face other than his long hair and glowing eyes and his teeth as he gritted them in a snarl. She thought he was only a story on her blog, a tip that had been poured in shortly after the first few sightings of the Flash. But now here he was, and he had saved them.

"Famous last words," the burning man growled shooting another rush of flame out towards Harley. She dove out of the way, rolling to pick up her rifle. This time the burning man sent out another rush of flame and it rang true, melting the metal of the rifle along Harley's hands. She screamed in pain excruciating pain and fury second before the burning man shot forward and crashed into her stomach, body slamming her into the wall behind her.

Harley fell to the ground, knocked out and the burning man took a step back, looking her over for a few moments before turning back towards Joe, Eddie, and Iris.

"Get to safety," he growled before shooting fire out of his hands; hard enough so that he took off into the air, streaking across the sky.

* * *

Harrison clenched his hand into a fist as he watched his computer monitor. He could clearly see Barry, Cadence, Oliver, Roy, and Diggle moved to follow he coordinates that Felicity, Cisco, and Caitlin had given them. Once Breathtaker had moved away from Team Flash and Team Arrow, they regained control of their computers, showing how strong and mysterious Breathtaker truly was.

There were just too many of them, he could see that now. Their plan should be something they could handle, Barry had trained hard enough to get through anything that came his way and yet…there was still a part of him that wasn't sure they could handle it. Not when it was his own fault.

"Do you think they'll be able to do this?" Caitlin asked, resting her chin in her hands.

"With all of the tricks we have up our sleeve?" Cisco shot back. He reached out and patted Caitlin on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Cait, we'll take them down one way or the other. We have to." Caitlin nodded before looking at Harrison over her shoulder.

He looked back at her, giving her a slight nod before bringing his hand up over his mouth, mind racing a mile a minute. He looked over at Brady and Felicity, who sat around her computer, watching as Oliver's and Roy's pinpoints moved closer and closer to their targets; Plastique and Bronze Tiger. Barry moved in on Captain Boomerang and Cadence went for Stratos while Diggle converged upon Deadshot. That left Incognito, Mindboggler, Harley, and Shrapnel, not to mention Breathtaker.

That was too many people for five heroes to go against, even if they were all ready for it.

He had to help them out somehow.

Then the idea immediately popped into his head and he wondered how he hadn't thought of it before. A slow smile crept onto his face as he studied the maps in front of him. Besides, it was as they said; you always wanted to keep your cards to yourself.


	34. Flashing Lights (9)

**.:34:.**

* * *

Amanda Waller listened to the disembodied voice on the other end of her burnout cell phone, a light smile tugging at her lips. Everything was going just as he had planned.

Once the Suicide Squad established themselves in Central City, they could continue to follow the trace of the Church of Blood and the League of Assassins. The widespread reach of those two factions had been very worrying, much more than she thought it would ever be and she wasn't going to stop until they were brought down. The use of Mirakuru and Vertigo in Starling had been bad enough, but if it got brought to Central City, with those metahumans around, there would be even more factions of super powered and super drugged people to deal with. Frankly, she couldn't believe that Vigilante hadn't thought of it before, as Central and Starling City were closely linked. Not like Keystone and Central, but still close enough.

The vigilante works that continued to go through those two cities due to the Arrow and the Flash was enough for the Church or Blood and the League of Assassins to skate by without being noticed. However, there was still plenty to worry about. Being double crossed by the Assassination Bureau was one; she had stumbled across the faction through her own research and knew they'd be the best to go to when it came to establishing dominance over the League who were potentially planning roots in Central City. Sure there were a few people that had fallen to the wayside when it came to moving things along. The Mayor had been one, but the Assassination Bureau had other jobs they needed to fulfill, she couldn't let them fall within the cracks and turn on her. Not when it was possible to bring them into A.R.G.U.S.

It was always going to be hard to have the Suicide Squad and Task Force X work together, she was aware of that as soon as the thought crossed her mind. But it was something she knew was to work. It was only a matter of time now.

"Keep an eye on things," Amanda said as she continued to pace back and forth through her office. She stopped and turned towards the floor-to-ceiling windows that surrounded her. Tilting her head to the side so that she held the phone between her shoulder and ear, Amanda gazed over the Starling City skyline. It was as beautiful as ever, though she was very aware of how much crime was going on while the Arrow was in Central City. It was just what she needed, to monitor the work of those distributing Mirakuru and Vertigo, to see who was starting it up again and who was using it. The SCPD had done a good job of busting the distributors the first time around, but now the distributers were being more careful in their work.

If they managed to change their tactics to continue to be undetected in Starling, then the League of Assassins and Church of Blood could do the same in Central.

"I need to be sure this goes right. The success of our plan rests within Starling and Central City and I can't afford—"she was suddenly cut off by the sound of the doors to her office bursting open. She whirled around just as there was a sudden gust of wind that blew her hair back. Lower mouth dropping open, she watched as a whirlwind continued to blow through her office, sending photos, framed pictures on the wall, flying to the floor. Hanging potted plants crashed to the ground, the soil picking up along the whirlwind.

She started to move towards her desk, going for the gun that she held in the drawer, but was cut off by a sudden force striking her in the chest. She let out a surprised grunt as she was slammed into the wall behind her, a tough force against her neck. Gasping for air, she could feel her throat continuing to be crushed under the force that had her. Her eyes shifted back and forth, trying to find the source of the pain then looked up just as the wind stopped and a form in yellow appeared in front of her.

"Amanda Waller, I should have known you were behind this whole thing," The form said, its red eyes glowing, voice coming out in a growl as he continued to vibrate, holding the hand around her neck still. "I don't think you understand what you're doing to Central City with your Task Force. There are metahumans rising up, destroying the place because of your direction. I guess I should've seen it coming but I always saw that you had a different sort of future."

Reaching up her hands, Amanda tried to pull the man's gloved hand off her neck, but found that his grip was too tight. She continued to gasp, barely managing to find enough breath that gave her the opportunity to whisper. "What I'm doing to Central City is keeping it safe. With the League of Assassins and the Church of Blood—"

"Those flimsy excuses aren't going to save you, Miss. Waller," the man interrupted. "The Assassination Bureau isn't moving under your control anymore. Breathtaker has risen up to bring metahumans up in a crusade against the humans of the city. You're tampering with something that you don't understand."

"The metahumans are not my responsibility," Amanda gasped. "The Particle Accelerator explosion was due to Harrison Wells. He was the one that caused all of those metahumans to come into existence. If any of them are rising up, it's something that he has to deal with. The Task Force doesn't—"

"The Task Force doesn't have the power to keep Breathtaker from taking over the city," The man interrupted. He tightened his grip against Amanda's neck and she moaned in pain. "But it appears that you don't understand the implications of what is going on. So I'll point it out to you." He lifted Amanda and turned her towards the glass, pressing her face hard against the window, causing it to crack from the force. "Do you see this city out there? Starling City? That City will be the next to fall down underneath Breathtaker and the Assassination Bureau when your plan goes to hell. Breathtaker is planning a revolution of the metahumans of Central City. If you think that the Assassination Bureau is strong, think of what they can do once they have every metahuman of Central City under their midst. I can already tell you that there are five metahumans that will be able to destroy the city within a few moments; your precious Bette Sans Succi being one of them." He pressed harder against Amanda's head; increase the crack in the window.

"If he managed to deceive and turn on you so quickly, imagine what could happen if all of the metahumans managed to fall under his rule and do that. Imagine what would happen when an explosive metahuman starts to blow up the national banks and government offices. Imagine what would happen if one that can turn himself into noxious gas swarmed over Starling City, poisoning and choking anyone that comes in contact with it. One that can turn himself into steel where one punch could immediately snap your neck. One that feeds off of and shoots out electricity. One that can instill you with so much rage and sadness than you could ever imagine. Now, let's think about it this way. All of those metahumans and the many others that seemed to have tapped into their powers tonight, all of it would be because of you and your plan of finding the League of Assassins and Church of Blood in Central City. This city has a vigilante that can take care of that, and the deaths that have occurred over the past couple of months have fallen under your fault."

He turned Amanda back around to face him and let go of her neck. She coughed loudly, falling to the floor. The man in yellow then kneeled down, resting his arms on his thighs. He tilted his head to the side as he studied her, and then leaned forward, his glowing red eyes glaring at her. "It's such a shame, Amanda Waller; I had seen that you had such a good future. You would accomplish so many great things, live a long healthy life, and have everything you ever truly wanted." He lifted his hand above his head, starting to vibrate it. "Though no one will ever be able to see it, your life has come to its untimely end. Before all of those things can happen."

Amanda stared up at the man in the yellow suit, eyes widening as his hand slowly moved towards her chest. It vibrated enough so that he could feel light swirls of air coming from it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she turned her head aside. "Okay! Okay! I'll call off Task Force X." Glaring, she turned back to the man in yellow as he lowered his hand and rested his arms on his thighs. "You're one of the metahumans. Why are you doing this?"

"Because the city needs to be standing. This is my home and I'm not going to allow someone to come in here and destroy it under their own selfish means."

"I highly doubt looking for the League of Assassin and the Church of Blood is selfish."

"I have it on good authority that Central City isn't their target." The man in yellow continued to glare at Amanda Waller for a moment then turned on his heel, zooming out of the office with a streak of red light following him.

…

..

.

Harrison leaned towards his computer, running his thumb over his finger tips as he watched Flash, Flash Fire, Arrow, Arsenal, and Diggle separate to different parts of the city, fighting whoever got in their way. He stared hard, blue eyes shifting back and forth as he watched their progress. As the seconds passed, he moved his thumb over his fingers faster and faster, a nervous habit that he seemed to have picked up over the years.

He knew this fight was going to be hard, the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau had a lot they were working for and had more time to harness their powers than the Flash had. And the Arrow and Arsenal hadn't had much time to deal with metahumans despite their work in the fight against Bivolo, who seemed to have disappeared throughout the chaos. Then his eyes shifted towards Felicity, Cisco, Caitlin, and Brady as they watched the fights as well, giving their inputs every now and then but otherwise powerless to help their friends.

 _You just have to wait,_ Harrison thought, slightly shifting his legs back and forth. Thankfully, his legs tucked under his desk, no one noticed the movement. Oh how he hated to have to sit in the chair for so long, especially with how easily his legs fell asleep. _How much more time do I have to spend waiting for the perfect moment? How much longer will it take for him to get to the point there will be able to do everything he has the ability to do._ A light smile tugged at his lips, noting that patience was never one o his strong points.

"Dr. Wells!" Caitlin's voice suddenly caught Harrison's attention from his left. And he looked over to see her and Brady leaning close to her computer screen, staring at something that was quickly moving. " _Something_ is giving off massive amounts of thermals while moving at a very quick speed."

"I'm not sure what this is, but I think we're picking up a new metahuman," Brady added. He tilted his head to the side for a moment. "Coming from 24th street, near the CCPD."

"I'll pull up surveillance from the camera in that direction. There has to be a few on the intersection streets, unless the CCPD can't afford to keep themselves as protected as the city," Felicity declared. "I mean, even the SCPD has had people barge in and shoot the place up a few times. You'd think by now the money that they made from their galas and charities would go towards something that actually helps."

Harrison smiled lightly, shaking his head as Cisco laughed lightly under his breath. He continued to stay transfixed to his computer screen as if watching a movie. Every now and then he would change the view on the screen to the five heroes that were fighting to save the city, wincing and giving out a light cheer as they continued to fight. Harrison's smile widened a bit more before he turned back to the image of the Flash that appeared on his screen, and dropped almost immediately. His own nervousness was starting to get in the way.

He had faith in Barry, but Barry had to have faith in himself before he could succeed.

Felicity twisted back around to her computer and typed quickly for a few seconds before the image from the CCPD appeared on screen. Pressing a few other buttons, the image was then presented onto the other computer screens. A picture of swirling fire that surrounded a humanlike figure as it arched towards the corner of the screen.

"It looks like a Burning Man," Brady commented, pointing on the screen. Squinting, he leaned forward until his nose was pressed against the screen. "I think so, anyway. I can't tell."

"Is this the only image you have, or is there anything else there?" Harrison demanded, voice now gruff. He hadn't taken that into account. Was it to be someone that was supposed to help them or hurt them and their efforts to defeat the combined efforts? He tried not to allow his frustration show, gritting his teeth as he remembered what Amanda had to say. Trying to keep the League of Assassins and Church of Blood out of Central City? He would have known if they were ever there, it was his job to know what went on in the city. It was part of what STAR Labs was for.

"Let's see…" Felicity typed once more and a new image appeared on screen. "Looks, there's Harley and…" she gasped lightly. "Iris, Joe, and Eddie! They're all down there too."

"Oh man," Cisco breathed, staring hard at his screen as the video played. A few frames of the three in front of Harley played, showing how Eddie and Joe subdued Harley and she then converged upon them. Then the Burning Man appeared out of nowhere and melted Harley's rifle before knocking her out and streaking across the sky, ending the video in the same image that was originally brought up. "I wonder who that is. Wait a minute. Do you think it's one of the metas that Breathtaker had…awakened in some way? Maybe he really did make it so that those that were affected by the Particle Accelerator all tapped into their powers. "He turned away from his computer. "If that's the case, then we're in a lot of trouble."

"Why?" Brady's eyebrows furrowed together. "Wouldn't you be able to find out how to capture them all like you've done with the others that you have downstairs?"

"With the influx of metahumans, not only would it be difficult to get them all, even with Barry's speed, but we also have to take into account how many people we'd risk revealing our identities and objectives to. And we wouldn't know if they would be…" Harrison paused, looking for the best word to explain it. "Significantly irritated with their new lives and me as well, due to the circumstances."

"Oh. Okay." Brady frowned, resting his chin on his crossed arms as he continued to stare at the video, watching it replay over and over.

"That Burning Man helped them," Caitlin realized, as the video played once more. She pushed back from her desk and crossed her legs, turning to face Harrison, though she looked around the room. "See? He knocked out Harley and disarmed her before flying away. If it was someone that had only just turned into a metahuman, why would they help?"

"Maybe he has a superhero complex," Cisco pointed out. "Let me tell you, if I got powers like that, I would help out anyway I can. Fighting by Barry's side, doing team-ups with other vigilantes like the Arrow…" He gasped loudly, eyes lighting up as she clasped his hands together. "Maybe I'd meet Superman!"

Felicity rolled her eyes. "I know you guys are the fun ones, but I think you're forgetting that we're fighting a losing battle here. The Suicide Squad isn't something that should be treated like little kids that just follow whoever tells them what to do."

Brady gave her a funny look. "They don't?"

"Need I remind you that Bronze Tiger wasn't above killing you with his overpriced nail files? If he was willing to kill a kid, then he's willing to do whatever it takes to finish whatever plan it is that A.R.G.U.S. has for them to have aligned with the Assassination Bureau. This is the group that is doing these things to lower their incarceration sentences."

"Well it doesn't look like we can do anything but wait," Caitlin pointed out. "They're not metahumans; we can't find intricate weaknesses in them."

"Not so much as obvious as the others are," Harrison pointed out. He tapped his finger tips together before rubbing his chin. "Harley's weakness is that she was too arrogant. And it was that arrogance that became her downfall, making it so that Burning metahuman was able to defeat her. There has to be something with the others that can aid us in their defeat."

"Bronze Tiger seems really mad," Brady commented helpfully. He worried his lower lip, instantly remembering the light whistling of the suicide squad member's knives flowing through the air, narrowly missing his target as Bronze Tiger chased him through his apartment complex. "Maybe that would work."

"His anger is certainly something that would get the best of him," Cisco remarked. "I wouldn't want to cross him in the middle of a dark alley." He suddenly paused as there was a warning sound coming from his computer. "We don't have time to think about this. Breathtaker is on the move and the rest of the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau are close behind. It's going to take a miracle for Barry, Cadence, Roy, Oliver, _and_ Diggle to catch them all then get to Breathtaker before he does…who knows what!" He threw his hands into the air. "It'll be Terminator level destruction and we can't have that!" He leaned closer to his computer. "Guys, I know this will be hard, but you have to focus your attention on Breathtaker as soon as you get the chance."

"What?" Barry's voice rang through, partially confused, partially infuriated. "We can't do that! What about the others?"

Harrison leaned forward in his seat, continuing to rub his fingers with this thumb. "I have it on good authority that the Suicide Squad won't be around much longer." He cleared his throat, shifting in his seat as Brady shot him a confused glance. "There are more important things to worry about. We believe there are other metahumans out there that will help you with your plight. There already has been one that has come to the aid of Iris, Detective Thawne, and Detective West."

"How are things going at STAR Labs?" Cadence called back. She then paused. "And did I hear correctly that you want us to give up on these guys and go straight to Breathtaker? I don't know about you guys, but I'm not a quitter."

Roy's voice then came through the speakers. "We can afford to leave the Suicide Squad or Assassination Bureau running through Central City as we go to Breathtaker. There'd be too many casualties. More than what could happen if we don't subdue them."

"And Breathtaker doesn't appear to be want anything other than to take us all on at once," Diggle added. "Who knows what will happen if we don't do what he says. He already proved that he has more power than we've ever imagined. It might give you all more time to figure out how to defeat him as it currently doesn't seem like there's a way to do so."

On the streets, Barry slowed to a stop as he came up to an alley, following the instructions where Captain Boomerang seemed to be waiting for him. He stood at the other end of the alley, holding onto two boomerangs, slowly lifting and lowering his fingers over the curve of the weapon. Letting in a deep breath, Barry slowly started to walk towards him. His heart hammered against his chest, knowing how important this was. They needed to take down these guys before going against Breathtaker and as they've already seen within their first interaction with the metahuman, he was a lot stronger than any of them thought.

 _What happens if we can't stop even these guys?_ Barry thought as he continued to gaze over Captain Boomerang, who smirked back at him. Waiting. _The city will be rundown by metahumans and Dr. Wells will be blamed for it. He'll probably be thrown in jail, Caitlin and Cisco will be arrested as accomplices…II don't think I can do this._ Bringing a hand up to his ear, Barry took a deep breath. "Oliver?" He asked.

There was a long moment of silence before the Green Arrow responded.

"This is your city, Barry," Oliver pointed out. "You're the one that knows it better than I do. You know what it takes to save it. You're a hero and you shouldn't let anyone or anything tell you otherwise. It's your logic and you heart that always comes out on top and this instance isn't different."

Barry nodded and looked up towards the skyline that was barely visible over the wall of the alley. This was his city and he wasn't going to let any metahumans destroy that. It was his duty to take care of the residents, his responsibility to use the powers he was given for good. He had to think about those that were stuck on the streets with no place to go, how Roy, Diggle, Cadence and Oliver were right behind them, how Brady, Caitlin, Cisco, Wells, and Felicity were ready to help him with whatever he needed, how Eddie, Iris, and Joe were out in the streets of Central City somewhere…

With all of his friends at his side he could do it.

"Do you have any ideas how to take him down?" Barry asked.

"You mean other than running?" Cadence asked.

"Yes, other than that."

"Digger Harkness is a very tactical person," Felicity replied. "He can easily outsmart you if you let him."

"Then I won't let him outsmart me," Barry said firmly. Lowering his hand from his ear, he copied Captain Boomerang's movements and clenched his hands into fists. He puffed out his chest before reaching up and making sure his hood was correctly in place. Then he started to slowly advance towards Captain Boomerang, moving at a light walk, to a jog, to a sprint.

He could feel the electricity in the air start to crackle around him as he tapped into his super speed, moving as quickly as he could. Captain Boomerang continued to stay rooted in place, waiting for Barry to approach.

_This is my city and it's my job to protect it._


	35. Flash Back aka A Fire Inside (10)

**.:35:.**

* * *

Oliver leapt to the ground and watched in momentary confusion as a small soup can rolled his way. Then, noticing a bright purple mass on it, he quickly turned and leapt to the side just as it exploded, sending a rush of fire towards him. Using his forward momentum to roll across his shoulders, Oliver came to a stop on his knees and brought his hand back behind him. Holding his bow out in front of him, he used his other hand to quick reach behind his back and grabbed onto an arrow.

He maneuvered it into his bow and shot it towards Plastique, who stood on the other side of the park path. She reached up and grabbed onto the arrow and started to throw it back to Oliver, using it as a makeshift missile, but found that before she could move it exploded in her palm, sending out an electrical shockwave.

A light gurgling sound escaped Bette's mouth as the electricity shot through her body. At the end the tip of the arrow exploded lightly, causing her to fly backwards and land on the ground. Pulling out another arrow, Oliver strung his bow and slowly moved towards the explosive metahuman. She lay on the ground, gently moving her head to the side as a light groan escaped her lips. She turned her head back towards Oliver as he approached her, holding the tip of his arrow directly in her face.

"Explain, now!" He declared. "Why are you attacking Central City? Barry and the others wanted to help you. They brought you into STAR Labs and tried to help you control your powers and now you do this?" He brought the arrow tip down to her throat and lightly pricked it, causing her to twitch and swallow hard. "And this is the way you repay them?"

"It's not them," Bette managed to whisper. When she swallowed again, her movement caused the arrow to poke her once more, a drop of blood down rolling down her neck. "I never wanted to hurt them. I made sure they didn't do anything with Cisco while he was captured. They wanted to kill him as soon as they got there. I couldn't have that happen."

"Why are you still working with the Suicide Squad?"

Bette turned her head to the side. She was silent for a long moment before snapping her head back to the side and grabbing onto Oliver's bow with her ungloved hand. Oliver looked down at the spot her hand had just inhabited and watched eyes wide as it started to glow a bright purple. With his attention on his bow, she brought up her feet and swiftly kicked him in the back of the head. He let out a cry of pain and rolled over, quickly tossing his bow into the air. As it came back down it started to smoke then blew up. Letting out a low curse under his breath, Oliver grabbed the two halves of his bow and converged up on Bette once more.

She followed his movement and raced back towards him, the two locked in hand to hand combat with Oliver using his bow pieces as makeshift night sticks, using them to strike Bette at her most vulnerable points as she tried to get her hands onto Oliver. With his training from the island as well as his work keeping up his hand to hand combat skills, he easily overpowered her. But Bette put up a good fight, using solid punches and kicks to keep him as far away from her as he could without her legitimately touching him. Despite the work that he had put into his suit, he knew that the explosive tendencies that Bette had could do more damage than he expected. As they continued to whirl around the park, Bette used whatever she could find to her advantage. At once instance as they were fighting over and around a park bench, she reached down and pressed her palms against the seated portion and leapt backwards right as Oliver leapt towards her.

The bench exploded and Oliver twisted in mid air, moving out of the way of the shrapnel that flew his way. Bette flipped backwards along the ground and pressed her palms together before throwing her hands forward. Little balls of bright purple explosives rolled across the ground igniting once right after the other. She then grabbed onto the trash can that sat beside her and heaved it towards Oliver. It caught him in the stomach and the force of the throw caused him to stumble backwards and crash against the ground. Oliver lifted the trash can off his chest and rolled forward. He placed the can on the ground flipped over it, and with his momentum as he whipped back around; he threw it hard back at Bette.

She ducked out of the way and the trash can crashed into the three behind her, imploding upon impact. Bette looked over at the tree with wide eyes, realizing how close she had been to imploding once more, she turned back to Oliver. Startled at the swiftness of speed he showed while racing towards her, she barely managed to bring her arms up to protect her face before he was upon her. With a high jump, he kicked her in the chest and she flew back and landed on the ground in a heap, hair falling over her face.

"I'm not going to ask you again," Oliver said as he walked towards the metahuman. "Why are you working with the Suicide Squad? A.R.G.U.S. will do nothing for you. It is not a future you want to be put into."

With a light sigh, Bette flipped her hair out of her face. She spit blood out of her mouth, being careful to wipe it away as it rolled down her chin. "You don't understand," she hissed, breathing heavily. "I had no other choice."

"You have no recent incarcerations or warrants out for your arrest," Oliver pointed out. "What do you need the work of the Suicide Squad for? Once you're in, you're stuck in there; Amanda Waller will continue to hold you in her trap until she calls for your death."

"Because I'm not going to be able to live out the rest of my life with General Eiling constantly chasing me around," Bette explained. She glared up at Oliver as he allowed her to push herself to a kneeling position. "General Eiling has been chasing me around for as long as I had started to exhibit my powers, wanting to use me as a weapon for his wars and a science experiment when trying to create new super soldiers. The Suicide Squad is putting up his death in return for my work." She clenched her teeth, continuing to glare up at Oliver. "It's the only way I'll be able to live in peace!"

"There is no such thing as peace when it comes to ARGUS and the Suicide Squad," Oliver explained to her. He took a couple of steps back away from her before turning on his heel and leaving her in the middle of the park. "You've sold your soul to the devil in the form of Amanda Waller."

Oliver continued to walk away from Bette, leaving her lying on the path.

* * *

"Well, well, well, it's you again," Bronze Tiger said as Roy approached him. The African-American man tilted his head to the side. "Even with all of your fancy gadgets and suit, I'm not going to let you beat me this time."

Roy laughed lightly as he walked through the streets towards him. He stepped through a puddle that reflected the shimmery moonlight above them, his eyes focused on the Suicide Squad Member that sat in front of him. "Last I checked I had you knocked out. You didn't _let_ me win. I beat you."

"I'm not making that mistake again."

"We'll just see about that."

With that, Roy lifted his eskrima sticks off his leg holsters and charged towards Bronze Tiger, who charged back at him. Roy leapt high over Bronze Tiger's head and whirled around, striking him in the face and chest with the eskrima sticks. He ducked out of the way as Bronze Tiger swirled his claws towards him, hearing the sound of the wind whistling, proving how close he had come to getting swiped. The two whirled around in a flurry of swinging arms and clashing sounds as they managed to block each attack that came their way. Roy ducked low and did a judo sweep, knocking Bronze Tiger off his feet. He leapt high into the air and came down with his eskrima stick, but Bronze Tiger swung up his foot and caught Roy in the chest, sending him flying overhead and onto his back.

Rolling onto his feet, Bronze Tiger turned back towards the red arrow and slowly started to walk towards him. "You may have a whole new arsenal of weapons and a new suit, but you're still the weak little boy that allows his fists do the talking." He slowly sharpened his knives back and forth across each other, sharpening them as he did so.

Wincing, Roy brought his hands up to cover his ears against the sharpening sound. It sounded like it was digging into his brain, causing a loud screeching, piercing sound to hit his ear drums with each and every file. "Without the threat of an earthquake machine to save you, we'll see who is the one that can and can't hold their own."

"You're right!" Roy clenched his teeth together. "We will!" He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a tiny, arrow. Throwing the flechette it crashed against the ground and blew up much like a smoke bomb, causing Bronze Tiger to stumble backwards, choking on the smoke. Roy flipped back to his feet and charged towards Bronze Tiger as he was cloaked in the smoke.

Before he made it, he felt a strong kick against his back and flew forward, crashing against the ground. Twisting to look behind him, he found Bronze Tiger standing behind him, a sinister smile on his face. He brought his claws down towards Roy and the red arrow twisted out of the way, getting to his feet. Once he was back up, he was kicked in the chest and slashed across the arm. Letting out a cry of pain, Roy grabbed onto his arm and whirled around to find Bronze Tiger behind him once more.

 _What?_ A light gasp escaped Roy's lips, confused as to how the man had managed to get around him so quickly. "How did you…?" He barely managed to get the words out of his mouth before he was kicked in the chest and back at nearly the same time. Roy whirled back and forth, coming face to face with two Bronze Tigers. Dropping his hand from his arm, Roy picked up his eskrima sticks once more and used them to try and fend both of them off. "How are you moving so fast?"

"It's not moving fast when you've got the ability to be in two places at once," The Bronze Tiger on his left said. Roy watched as the man's face and body morphed until he was looking at a perfect image of himself, with the real Bronze Tiger standing next to him. "And have every ability that comes with it." His eyes then started to glow blue before 'Roy' morphed into Bivolo.

Roy saw a flash of blue cover his vision before he saw an image of his mother and father standing in front of him. They were both smiling sadly at him, slowly shaking their heads as if in disappointment. He gasped lightly as the two held hands, turned and slowly stared to walk away from him. Before he could call out to his mother and father, begging for them to stop and stay with him, the image changed to that of him when he was running the streets, hyped up on Mirakuru. He watched as the image of himself rampaged around, a permanent scowl on his face, punching and kicking anyone that came his way.

All of a sudden there was searing pain that flashed through his stomach and his increasing scream of pain caused him to jerk back out of the way of the claws that Bronze Tiger managed to shove through his stomach as he was stuck seeing the tearful images in front of him. It was already hard when he lost his father when he was so young but then losing his mother to Vertigo had made things even harder. The last he had seen her, it was before she had left him as she was stuck to the drug and constantly looked for her next fix. Ever since then he had been living on his own, waiting to hear from her, knowing his constant searches for her was going to return with some sort of answer. The Mirakuru fueled part of him was something he thought he had left behind once he was cured, but maybe there was a part of him that still had influence of the serum inside.

Lifting his head, Roy glared at Bronze Tiger and the metahuman that he now knew was Incognito, bringing a hand up to the gashes that appeared in his stomach. Blood dripped down the front of his suit and he clenched his hands into tight fists. The corner of Bronze Tiger's mouth lifted into a snarl as he flexed his fingers, ready for the fight that was brewing.

Reaching behind him, Roy pulled his bow off of the attachment to his back and took out an arrow in his other hand. Quick as lightning, he started to shoot them off towards Bronze Tiger and Incognito. Bronze Tiger snapped the arrows out of the air as Incognito managed to get one buried in his shoulder before ducking out of the way of the others. Roy then found himself suck in the middle of a fight between Bronze Tiger and Incognito as they flanked his front and back. Roy continued to whirl around, using his bow as an offensive and defensive weapon. He managed to get a sharp jab in Bronze Tiger's face, causing him to stumble back before turning around and shooting another electrified arrow into Incognito, who had morphed into Shrapnel.

Incognito spun out of the way and threw a smoke grenade at the ground, covering the three into a cloud of smoke, then pulled a pistol out from his pocket and started to fire them towards Roy. The red arrow used the smoke as a screen and rolled out of the way of the gun blats, hearing the bullets crash into the store fronts behind him. Bronze Tiger took advantage of the cover over them and aimed a claw towards Roy. Roy leapt high into the air as Bronze Tiger tried to use his extended claws to swipe towards his legs. He then bent backwards out of the way as Bronze Tiger whipped around with a high kick, trying to hit him in the face.

"Why don't you sit still and fight like a man?" Bronze Tiger snarled.

"Like this?" Roy reached behind him and pulled out one more arrow, striking Incognito in the chest, just off the side of the heart. It was a good enough placement so that he would give him enough damage, but not enough to kill him. Roy then leapt towards the wall at his side and bounced off it, using the momentum to strike Incognito directly in the face with a hard punch.

His punch hit the mark and Incognito fell to the ground, knocked out. He then turned around and brought up his bow, blocking off Bronze Tiger's blow from hitting him in the face. He grabbed Bronze Tiger by the front and lifted him off the ground, slamming him back down onto the asphalt. Standing over him, Roy continued to punch Bronze Tiger over and over again each of his punches stronger than the last. He continued to punch as Bronze Tiger's head lolled to the side, him lying motionless on the ground.

Finally, Roy pulled back away from the two men that lay on the street in front of him. Breathing heavily, he wiped a hand over his face, brushing away the sweat from his fighting effort then winced. Then he brought his hand down to examine himself; the gashes on his arm and in his stomach seemed to have stopped bleeding, but he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet.

Now he had to find the others.

* * *

Diggle lifted his gun as he continued to take cover down behind a row of trash cans. Every time he would bring his head up above the trash cans to get an idea of where Deadshot was, a bullet would ring out, that would caused him to quickly go back into hiding.

 _I have to do something to get him to stop,_ Diggle thought. _Anything to get him into captivity._ Reaching into the side pocket of his pants, Diggle brought out a small hand grenade. He twisted it around in his hand for a moment before bring it up to his mouth and using his teeth to pull out the pin. He lifted his head once more and ducked back down with just enough time to see the flash of light come from the barrel of Deadshot's gun. Now knowing where the shots were coming from, Diggle released the handle of his grenade and threw it in the direction of Deadshot. He leapt out from behind the trash cans, charging in the same direction.

As the grenade exploded, he watched as a shadow darted out of the way from where Deadshot had just occupied. Reaching down to the side of his jeans, he pulled out his telescopic baton as it had been holstered to the side of his leg. Deadshot dropped his rifle and lifted his hands, pointing them towards Diggle as he slowly walked towards him. His wrist turrets licked into place and a barrage of bullets shot out towards Diggle. He ducked out of the way and rolled across the ground before leaping to his feet and swinging his baton towards Deadshot, managing to strike him in the eye. Deadshot lowered his arms and the two engaged in hand to hand combat.

The struggle that continued to bond the two together was evident in the strong punches and throws they managed to exchange. Throughout the fight, Deadshot continued to smirk at Diggle, his one visible eye glinting with amusement. This infuriated Diggle as the seconds passed and he continued to swing his baton as hard as he could. At one point, he managed to pin Deadshot's hands behind his back as the man had managed to grab onto Diggle's baton before Diggle managed to maneuver it behind him.

Deadshot grimaced in pain as his arms were rotated backwards. "You're going to have to do better than that."

"Oh, I will." Diggle then brought his head back and threw it forward as hard as he could. He heard the crunching sound of his forehead breaking Deadshot's nose then kneed him in the stomach. Grabbing onto Deadshot's front, he flipped Diggle onto the ground and kicked him hard in the side.

A light, wheezing laugh escaped Deadshot's mouth as blood gushed down from his nose and around his mouth and chin. "I see you've done a better job of self-defense. Too bad it's not going to save you. You see, I have too much against you that will keep you from killing me."

Diggle brought down his baton and placed it against Deadshot's neck, pressing hard. Deadshot's eyes squeezed tight and he let out a chocking couch. "And what makes you think that I'm not tempted to try?" Diggle continued to press as hard as he could, enjoying the feeling of Deadshot's body convulsing beneath him.

A light wheeze escaped Deadshot's mouth and he swallowed hard. Struggling, he managed to get the few words out, "because I have the answers to all of the questions you haven't been able to ask."

The words caused Diggle to pause, releasing the pressure that was on his throat. This was it. This was what he always wanted. To know why his brother was targeted by Deadshot, to know why it was _his family_ that had to be torn apart the way it did. But he also had the chance to kill Deadshot right then and there, to finally have his pain and suffering to end. He'd get the justice he had been seeking for as long as he could remember. Still, Diggle hesitated. Here was his chance to kill him, yet here was also his chance to get some answers.

One or the other.

Which would he choose?

All of a sudden, he felt Deadshot's foot against his stomach and he was pushed back a few steps. Deadshot slowly got to his feet, chuckling as he caught his breath. He slowly stood up and wiped blood off the side of his head. "You had your chance," he said to him. "You had your chance to get your revenge and you still didn't' take it. You sure are something, John Diggle."

Diggle licked his lips. "Tell me," he declared. "Why did you kill my brother?"

A long moment of silence stretched between the two of them before Deadshot suddenly lifted his hand and pressed it against the side of his head. It was then that Diggle noticed he had an earpiece in his ear, probably linked towards Amanda. Diggle slowly lowered his baton, pressing a button on the side and it slid back up into the handle of the baton.

"It appears that we're being pulled out," Deadshot remarked, lowering his hand from his ear. "I'd like to say that it was a pleasure seeing you again, but you and I both know that neither of us will feel that way unless the other is dead."

"Name the time and place," Diggle replied. "And I'll be there."

"As will I." Diggle lowered his pistol and watched as Deadshot shifted his rifle over his shoulder and walked out of sight.

* * *

The wind whipped around Cadence at high speeds and she found herself falling to her knees, feeling the flames that burned inside her to become less powerful. It was the only thing she hated about being in the Assassination Bureau, knowing that Stratos was the best one to take her down with his weather manipulation powers. It hadn't been hard for her to figure out that Stratos had been the one to frame her for the murder of the Mayor once she and been influenced to attack him. It wouldn't be hard to use his powers to take the air from his lungs and make it appear that she had done some smoke damage.

Their power had always been interlinked in that sense, if she made a smoke cloud; he could use it to his advantage. She also knew it was why Breathtaker had assigned him to watch her so closely when she had still been working with them. Now, however, she was ready to finally get her revenge on him.

"What?" Stratos lowered his hands, the wind stopping. "You didn't see that coming?"

Cadence tilted her head to the side, cracking her neck, and then held up her hand, pointing it towards Stratos. The veins in her arm started to glow a reddish orange, moving up towards her wrists until her hand became engulfed in flames. Bringing back her hand, she shot it forward and a rush of flame shot towards Stratos. He leapt backwards out of the way and she brought up her other hand. She leapt up into the air and shot fire out of her hands, using the propulsion of the flames to spin her around in quick circles, closing the gap between the two of them and stuck Stratos in the face with her foot. She then spun her arms in a quick circle and shot a stream of fire that hit him directly in the chest.

"What?" She shot back, mockingly. "You didn't see that coming?"

Stratos flicked his blonde hair out of his face and slowly got to his feet, glaring at her. He smirked before a crazed smile slid onto his face. "Tough talk for someone who's about to die."

"Funny." Cadence's hands erupted. "I was going to say the same thing about you." She slammed her hands against the ground and it cracked open, steam vents immediately coming up from the ground. Stratos covered his face, letting out a cry as the ground beneath him cracked open, sending steam directly into his face. "Let's see if you can handle the heat." She clenched her hands into fists, concentrating on increasing the temperature of the steam that came out of the vent. Stratos screamed seconds before the steam suddenly turned into flames.

He jumped back out of the way and clenched his hand into a fist, bringing it down to his palm. As his palm connected with his fist there was a loud thunder clap that sent out a sound wave, striking Cadence in the chest. She landed on her back on the ground and rolled back to her feet. She concentrated hard on Stratos, feeling her eyes starting to burn before a steam of fire shot out from her eyes and shot towards him. Stratos ducked out of the way and sent a rush of wind back towards her, lifting her off the ground. Stratos brought his hands down and Cadence slammed hard against the ground. She felt the wind get knocked out of her seconds before Stratos was upon her, his hands around her neck. Cadence brought up her hands and tried to knock them off but he continued to kneel over her, snarling into her face.

"I should've done this a long time ago," he hissed. "You were always getting n the way of our plans. You were always a liability. I should've known that Mindboggler's hold on your wouldn't last so long. I knew we shouldn't have given back that kid. You're messing with my _life_. With what we're trying to achieve."

"You should've thought of that before aligning with Breathtaker," Cadence managed to gasp. "He's using you just as much as he used me. He's going to get rid of you as soon as he managed to take over the city. He won't need any of us once he takes over Central City." She gasped as he squeezed harder, watching as storm clouds appeared above them. She flinched as a droplet of water hit her in the face before a torrential downpour fell down around the two of them under Stratos's power.

"And once we have you out of the way it'll be one less person to have to deal with," Stratos declared.

Closing her eyes, Cadence focused her attention on the metahuman above her. And yet, she found that she couldn't move him even an inch. Darkness crept in around the edges of her vision and she could feel the rain water starting to zap away at her strength. Knowing this, Stratos increased the wind around them, weakening her even further.

"Cadence, you have to get him off you," Harrison's voice filled her ear.

"I can't," she gasped back. "He's…too strong."

"No, he's not. You're very strong, but you've managed to go through your life with a cap on your powers and your abilities. You can control them if you work hard at it. You can stop the fall of Central City. But you have to believe in yourself."

The fire metahuman immediately flashed back to when she had fought Barry with Roy and Oliver after he had been whammied by Bivolo. When she had finally managed to tap into her powers, she had lost control and her body temperature had increased to the point of having a seizure. That was always a risk with her powers and she typically did her best to keep from going that far with them.

What if it happened again?

"The plateau of your powers is only because you're afraid of being used in some way. Because you're afraid of becoming powerful and being ostracized. That's why you kept it hidden for so long, from everyone around you. But you're amongst those that care about you and are willing to help you get to the point where you're in constant control of your powers. Trust me, and everything will be fine. I know you can do it."

"How?"

"Because you're my daughter."

Opening her eyes, Cadence looked up into Stratos's face as her vision started to completely blacken. She started hard at him, her eyes starting to burn once more, and with a cry of effort she shot out a blast of fire that caused Stratos to fall backwards off of her frantically wiping at his eyes. She rolled backwards onto her feet and shot continuous streams of fire towards him, the flames turning from orangeish-yellow to a blood red and steadily growing deeper as the seconds went on. She then held her hands together and, screaming with effort, created a blaze of flames between her hands that took on the shape and form of a sword. She swung it hard and it caught Stratos in the side, knocking him into the building beside him.

He fell to the ground, clothes smoldering. With a burst of wind, he pushed himself to his feet and screamed with fury as he charged back towards her. Cadence did a standing back flip as he charged towards her then sent a cloud of smoke at him, which swirled around him, choking him. She twirled around and leapt towards the wall beside her, bounced off of it, and used it as a means to punch Stratos across the face. She teleported behind him and kicked him hard in the back, then teleported in front of him and punched him in the stomach with a flaming fist.

Stratos grabbed onto Cadence and blasted her back a few feet with a sharp blast of air. She crashed into the brick wall, falling to the ground, head lolling to the side. He cracked his knuckles as he started to stalk towards her. Dark storm clouds formed over his head and lightning struck the ground as he continued towards her. It bounced off of the trash cans and fire escapes around him as well as striking the ground, leaving burnt spots.

All of a sudden, Cadence appeared at Stratos's side and sucker punched him hard in the face. Blowing her hair out of her face, she rubbed her hand, watching as the weather metahuman keeled over and landed hard on the ground. "That was for kidnapping Brady," she said. " _And_ for giving me parental advice."

* * *

Barry darted around Captain Boomerang, striking him with a multitude of speedy punches that rained over his body. The man fell to his knees and reached into his coat pockets. Grabbing the boomerangs that were within them, he threw them as hard as he could. As they were in close proximity, Barry found himself struck in the arm with the weaponized boomerang, catching him along the arm.

"Gah!" Barry grasped his arm and stared at Captain Boomerang as he reached up and caught the boomerangs that flew back towards him. "What are you people going to come up with next? Weaponized yo-yos?"

"Us boys and our toys, you know we can never put them down," he remarked. He smirked just as there was a sudden flash bang and an explosion of smoke. Barry zipped around to clear the smoke from the area as more and more explosions continued to sound. The smoke dissipated and Barry spotted Shrapnel standing in the spot Captain Boomerang had just been.

"Guys." Barry brought his hand up to his ear. "Captain Boomerang got away, just like Bivolo did. Should I go after him?"

"Do _not_ go after him," Caitlin insisted. "It's bad enough that we haven't been able to pinpoint Breathtaker. You don't want to get stuck in a trap trying to go after him. Just get rid of Shrapnel and we can—"

"—Wait, I'm picking up some weird signal," Cisco interrupted. "We're capturing some sort of interference with your communication link. Hold on a minute."

"Cisco, I don't _have_ a minute!" Barry lowered his hand from his ear and raced towards Shrapnel as he loaded up another grenade. Zipping over to him, the Flash grabbed onto the grenade and threw it high into the air. He then grabbed onto Shrapnel and continuously slammed him against the walls of the buildings around them before throwing him to the ground. The grenade broke over head sending a rush of fire and soot over the alleyway.

"He…he's being called off," Cisco explained. Barry looked over towards Shrapnel and watched as he disappeared around the corner of the alleyway, leaving Barry alone. "He and the rest of the Suicide Squad are getting orders to back off. I don't know why…."

"That doesn't really matter right now, what matters is that Breathtaker is bound to—"The communication link between Barry and STAR Labs suddenly dropped, with the sound of increasing static. Barry felt a chill roll down his back, recognizing the last time that had happened. He lifted his eyes and found Mindboggler standing in front of him, smirking as she crossed her arms.

Then she was suddenly replaced with an image of his mother, standing in front of him and smiling warmly as she held out her hand, calling for him. Her voice swirled around him and Barry did his best to tune her out, making sure he didn't fall for that trick again. Not when he now knew that she and Bivolo were the ones behind his nightmares and constant worries that his powers were making him go crazy. She wasn't there, he knew that. She was rooting for him to win, not for him to be tricked and let their guard down.

"Well, I didn't think that it was going to take this long for you all to get your bearings together to face me," Breathtaker remarked, suddenly appearing behind Barry. Barry twisted around and jerked back as he found the hooded metahuman floating right behind him. That was the only movement he was able to make as he felt his body become paralyzed. "I thought you were supposed to be the Flash, the one that was to protect the city at all costs and as quickly the lightning that had struck your all those months ago." Breathtaker tilted his head to the side. "Figures that you seemed to have been wasting your time taking down petty criminals rather than honing your abilities to become the superhero you want to be." With that he held up his hand and Barry found himself rocketing across the area and crashed into a dumpster behind him.

With the sudden speed that startled Barry, Breathtaker was back in his face, white eyes glowing. "But there's one thing that not many superheroes seem to understand." Invisibly hands lifted Barry high into the air and threw him. "There's always going to be someone to knock him down a peg or two." Once Barry came to a stop, he felt himself flung against another dumpster.

A light groan escaped Barry's lips as the world exploded in colors around him. Breathtaker moved back towards him and the invisible hand grabbed Barry around the neck, squeezing hard. Eyes shifting to the side, Barry watched as Mindboggler moved close to him. All of a sudden he didn't see Breathtaker in front of him rather than all of his friends lying motionless on the ground. Their bodies had been tortured and ripped apart, arms and legs flung all over the alleyway. And as he continued to stare at them, eyes growing wide, screaming suddenly filled his head.

Tortured screams of agony and despair accompanied by the sound of cracking and snapping. It was then Barry realized that he was listening to the sound of his friends and the screams they had emitted when their bodies had been torn apart by Breathtaker's invisible hands. Then another screaming sound filled the air, more loud and tortured than others.

The screaming continued as he looked over his friends. Cisco lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, a gaping hole in his chest, Oliver, Diggle, Felicity, and Roy lay in a heap different portions of their bodies gashed open, an increasing puddle of blood spreading out beneath them. Harrison lay on the ground twisted in a grotesque direction as if his back had been broken his blood splattered glasses resting on the ground nearby, Caitlin's neck ripped open as well as missing an arm and a leg, Cadence appearing to have been tabbed repeatedly as well as missing some of her limbs, and Brady lay near his mother, a blood arm draped over her while his neck bent at an odd angle, having been broken.

And still, the screaming continued as Barry found it was his own screams he was hearing. The grotesque image faded from in front of him and he focused on Breathtaker once more, still continuing to scream in agony. Mindboggler had some something, had caused him to hallucinate the horrifying image and he continued to scream while he was in Breathtaker's grasp.

"In this case, it's really Central City that's going to fall to its knees and the only way I can do that is by ripping out the heart of the city…Flash."

All of a sudden there was a high-pitched sound that mimicked an incoming missile and Barry watched as two arrows stuck into the ground and Roy and Oliver slid down the line that extended from them, landing hard on the ground in a light crouch before standing up straight. Cadence then teleported in front of Mindboggler and hit her with a critical punch to the chest, knocking her back onto the ground. There was a sudden sound that sounded like jet propulsion and Barry looked around to find a burning man landing beside his friends.

 _Who is that?_ Barry asked, struggling to see through the flames that lit up and danced around the man's head. He didn't have much time to think about it, as he felt himself able to move once more. He got to his feet and zipped over to his friends' sides.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked. He noticed the slashes through Roy's suit and his eyebrows rose. If that happened to Roy, what if the rest of his friends were hurt just as badly. Like in his vision. "Diggle?"

"He's on his way back to STAR Labs," Roy explained.

"Don't worry about us," Oliver added. He nodded over to Breathtaker. "We have to deal with this guy first."

"Easier said than done," Cadence agreed. "This guy…he's managed to hold four metahumans under his control as long as I can remember. And he just threw you around like a ragdoll." She shook her head. "I don't know what his powers are exactly, but if he managed to take the whole city under his control until now…" she trailed off, clenching her hands into fists.

Barry nodded, remembering what he had seen on the news. Breathtaker had put out some sort of a hypnotic breath over the city that caused the rampages and destruction amongst the city. If he could do that for an entire population, it was no wonder he could throw Barry around so easily without ever having to actually touch him. But he knew they couldn't give up. It was like Oliver had said, it was his city and it was his job to protect it.

He couldn't imagine the thought of Iris, Eddie, and Joe being out there somewhere and not knowing if they were okay. His father was still in jail, probably wondering what was going on within the city. As far as he knew, there could've been some sort of a riot within the prison as they were stuck with no place to go once the particle accelerator blew. Who knew how far all of this had reached? All he knew was that they had to stop them once and for all.

"Part of his powers…he uses it to give Mindboggler hers, take her down, you've knocked out a good chunk of his stuff. As it is, he's already partially weakened because of it," Cadence said.

"We don't have any other choice, we have to do it," Roy said.

Oliver nodded and pulled out his bow as it was still in two pieces. He turned to Cadence and held it out towards her. The fire metahuman looked up at him in confusion, knowing of his hesitation to trust her despite how they had run into each other as they grew up. Oliver looked back at her with determination in his eyes and nodded, a light smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Cadence nodded back and held out her hands, jetting out a stream of fire that struck the middle of his broken bow then pulled it back, the two pieces fused back together. He then fell back in line amongst the rest of the heroes.

Barry clenched his hands into fists then flexed his fingers.

There was no turning back now.

He gave a slight nod and a flurry of motion broke out.

Flash Fire darted off towards Leah and the two immediately came together in hand to hand combat, knocking each other to the ground with a series of punches, kicks, and throws. Every now and then Mindboggler would use her abilities to give Cadence a bit of vertigo, making her feel and see that he ground was moving in waves, making it harder for her to keep her balance while fighting her. Mindboggler then used that time to punch Cadence whenever she made herself vulnerable, in the face, neck, arms, and chest, throwing her to the ground and into the walls that surrounded them when they got the chance. Finally, Cadence stayed crouched towards the ground as she created a smoke vapor that filled the area, causing Mindboggler to halt in her progress towards the fire metahuman, trying to hold her breath. Flash Fire rolled her to her feet and did a high jump kick, kicking her right in the throat. Then accompanied it by leaping up and wrapping her legs around Mindboggler's neck and flipped backwards onto her hands. Mindboggler was lifted off her feet and thrown up into the air. Cadence then held up her hand, creating the fire sword she had managed to do before and struck her with it, slamming her into the side of the building.

The illusionist metahuman tried to get up, her shoulders visibly struggling, but found that she couldn't more. Her eyes widened then narrowed in fury as she continued to move. "Why can't I move? What have you done to me, you bitch?!" She declared. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

"Calm, Leah," Breathtaker said to her. "You are not needed right now."

"You can't do this to me! I've been by your side this entire time! Since I got my powers!"

"Silence!" Breathtaker cried. With an invisible hand he pulled down a balcony that hung off the side of the building above and sent it crashing upon her. He then turned his attention back towards Barry, who stared at Breathtaker in surprise. He wasn't surprised to see him turn on her like that; he had turned on so many of his workers already.

But in such a brutal manner?

"Let's see how you deal with me, Flash. I can assure you I won't be so easy to defeat."

With Breathtaker, Oliver, Roy, and the Burning Man faced off against Breathtaker with Barry standing back a little bit, being used when up close attacks would be helpful. No matter the amount of arrows the archers managed to put into the metahuman, he managed to keep going, using his invisible hands to blast them out of his body, turn around in midair, and shoot back towards Oliver and Roy. The Burning Man zoomed around with his fire projection, shooting waves of fire over at Breathtaker when he got the chance, which managed to get him every now and then while other times Breathtaker shot it back towards him, knocking him backwards though he managed to stay in the air. The Flash then moved forward and shot a barrage of punches at Breathtaker, but found that he wasn't making a lot of progress, feeling nothing under the cloak. And yet, he could still see Breathtaker's hands coming out from underneath the cloak as well as his white eyes that glowed towards them as well.

All of a sudden, Barry felt himself lifted up and thrown once more. He crashed into the ground then felt a barrage of punches blast over his face and chest, causing him to cough and spit out blood onto the ground.

"Now you know how it feels," Breathtaker remarked. "Though you feel more pain than I'll ever be able to feel." He then turned back the other way and Roy, Oliver, and the Burning Man felt an invisible arm strike them in the stomach, knocking them off their feet.

Cadence then came into the fray; sending wave after wave of fire towards Breathtaker, her eyes alight with the power that she worked to control. Every now and then her fire continuously changed colors form an orange-red to a blood red and back again with the power hat she continued to put out. Nevertheless, her ruthless fighting spirit continued to drive her forward as she bounced back from every attack that came her way. Round and round the heroes went, doing the best they could to take down Breathtaker. But his power proved to be too formidable for them as he continued to use his powers to brutally beat each of them. No matter the amount of arrows Oliver and Roy sent their way, he would find a way to break them in midair or not seem to have any affect whenever they struck him. Even tag-teaming him as they moved in close with their martial arts training didn't do anything as no matter the solid punches they managed to get, it didn't appear to do any damage.

The Burning Man continued to swirl around Breathtaker, shooting fire towards the metahuman whenever he got the chance. At some points he would team up with Flash Fire to use their combined efforts of power to take him down. However that continued to be fruitless. At one point she managed to get a solid strike towards Breathtaker. As he turned his back towards her, her fire attack seemed to bounce off of an invisible barrier and shot back towards her.

Barry zipped over towards her and lifted her up into his arms in a bridal style carry and took her over to his friends as they gathered on the other side of the clearing. "Good timing," Cadence remarked as Barry set her down.

"What are we going to do now?" Roy asked, breathing heavily, hand held on his stomach that had started to bleed once more. He leaned heavily on Oliver's side. "None of this seems to be working."

"Neither of us have dealt with something like this in Starling City," Oliver remarked. He looked over at Roy. "The only way we're going to take him down is if we can overload his power in some way."

"Overload his power?" Barry repeated. He couldn't see how that was going to help. The only time that worked before was when he had been going against Blackout and even then, there were some drawbacks. He had gotten his powers stripped away for an undetermined amount of time, and he had felt nothing more than useless. No matter the amount of training that he received from Dr. Wells, it didn't appear that he would be able to beat this guy.

No obvious reason, anyway.

He…he just had to go faster somehow. To stop Breathtaker before he found a way to use his mojo on them. Even then the villain was waiting for them to get their bearings together, like it was some sort of a game they were playing. His arrogance was palpable and that infuriated Barry even more.

"I just…" he brought his hands up to his head. "I just need to go faster, somehow."

"Pyro-Electrokinesis!" Cadence suddenly cried. Barry turned to her in confusion. "Pryo-Electrokinesis. Remember that one metahuman that could control electricity that attacked the school? When we found out that I could control fire-electric manipulation. You need more speed right?"

A figurative light bulb appeared over Barry's head and he nodded as he turned back to Breathtaker, who continued to fight Oliver, Roy, and the Burning Man. He seemed to have the upper hand and if they were going to defeat this guy, they had to try everything.

"Let's do it, Flash Fire," he agreed.

"You go it, Flash," Cadence replied.

The veins on her arms started to glow once more as she rubbed her gloved hands together as fast and as hard as she could. Little bolts of electricity flickered from her palms as she continued to do so. Barry crouched low, placing his hands on the ground in a runner's start, steadying his breathing. Cadence continued to rub her hands together as the crackles of electricity continued to increase. Then, she brought her hands back and threw the electric filled fire towards Barry. He closed his eyes as the heat wrapped around him, suddenly glad to remember that Cisco had originally designed it as a suit to aid the fire fighters. He felt the heat and electricity get absorbed by his body.

When he opened his eyes, he felt the intense power that came from the electricity. Lightning flashed through his eyes and he shot forward, running in a tight circle around Breathtaker, taking Cadence's fire along with it. Oliver, Roy, and the Burning Man stepped back, watching as Barry continued to circle around the metahuman. Around and around he went, taking in the fire and electricity as he swirled around until he was a yellow blur. All of a sudden the electricity that shot around the makeshift tornado combined into one giant bolt of lightning that struck Breathtaker, launching him across the clearing and onto the ground. It took Barry a few moments to come to a stop, falling to his knees.

Breathing heavily, he brought his hand up and pulled down his hood before falling back onto the ground. He looked up as Cadence hurried over, falling to her knees beside him. She reached up and pulled her goggles down around her neck. A smile slid onto her face as she gazed down at his soot covered face.

"You did it, Barry!" She cried, grabbing onto his shoulders and shaking him. "You did it!"

Barry smiled and nodded, unable to find the words that would accurately show his happiness to know that they had finally managed to save the city. He reached up and wrapped his arms around Cadence and she hugged him back just as tightly.

It was finally over.


	36. The Truth Shall Set You Free

**.:36:.**

* * *

"Well, Mr. Harper, it looks like your vitals are okay," Cadence said as she shined into his eyes with a flashlight. Quickly pulling the light away, she watched as his pupil adjusted to bring in the light of the examining room. She then moved the light to his other eye and did the same. "And it doesn't appear that your wounds have become infected in any way, so I think you'll make a nice recovery."

Roy chuckled lightly as he lay still on the cold examining table, staring at the ceiling of STAR Labs. He grimaced as he crossed his arms over his bare chest, holding onto the opposite elbow with each of his hands. "That's good to hear…but Mr. Harper was my father," he corrected her.

The fire metahuman glanced at him, clicking off the flashlight with her thumb. " _Was_?" She leaned over him, mimicking his stance by crossing her arms.

The red arrow swallowed hard, trying to push away the angry lump in his throat that seemed to pop up every time he mentioned his mother or father. But…having seen them after getting whammied by Incognito, who had disguised himself as Bivolo had brought all of the memories that he had of them, good and bad.

"My Dad died when I was really little…an accident of some sort, I don't know, my Mom wanted to protect me from it. And…it basically shattered her life." He turned his head and looked directly at her, shifting his eyes for a moment before looking back at her again. "So it was just the two of us and she worked hard to make sure I had everything I needed. But the stress ended up getting to her; she got into drugs. They were tame at first, a joint here or there, and then she fell into harder stuff. Soon I barely saw her when she wasn't strung out or high out of her mind before ultimately getting into Vertigo and…she left. I haven't seen her since."

"Oh." Cadence slowly nodded before reaching up and scratching the back of her head. "Geez, we all got some parental problems don't we?" A light laugh escaped her lips before she tilted her head and looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm over it," Roy said dismissively.

"Yeah, you sound like you've really moved on." Cadence turned her attention to the wound on his arm and looked over it for a moment before glancing at his stomach. She gently moved her finger along the end of the wound and smirked when Roy sucked in a quick breath, his stomach contracting. "Should've warned you it was going to hurt."

"It hurt worse going in than going out," Roy replied. He uncrossed his arms and rested them on the side of the table. "You know, it usually takes a lot more work before I take my shirt off for anyone."

"Yeah, usually you have to be Thea Queen." Cadence pressed her palm against his stomach and he felt warmth on his skin before she started to heal him. At his noticeable silence, the fire metahuman looked over at him and she received a wide-eyed, almost anxious look from him.

"You know about Thea?"

"Which pat of, I've known Oliver and Thea for a while did you not understand? I mean, sure, Oliver and I aren't exactly close friends or anything, but it's kind of hard to ignore a little girl that followed her brother around and didn't' seem to have a lot of friends her own age. Besides, it's hard not to notice that Thea's…lifestyle managed to become fodder for a lot of tabloid and gossip columns. Such as when she gets a new boyfriend who some don't think is right for her…."

Roy pursed his lips but didn't reply.

She looked at him over her shoulder. "So how is she?"

"We broke up if that's what you're asking."

"Nie try, Little Red, but that's not what I'm asking. Seriously…how is she?"

Now the red arrow nod lightly. "She's mad," he admitted. "About a lot of things. About her Dad…her Mom…She knows who I am…what I do…and she was mad that I was continuing to be a vigilante with Oliver, after she asked me to stop." At Cadence's stricken glance he held up a hand. "She doesn't know Oliver's identity and we plan to keep it that way. She left Starling City to go to Corto Maltese with Malcolm Merlyn, which is another long story; because she wanted to get some training…she's doing better now, thankfully."

"That's good to hear." Cadence lifted her hand and motioned for Roy to sit up, which he did with ease. "I should give her a call the next time I'm in Starling."

A playful smile tugged at Roy's lips. "And when's that going to be?"

"Wow, Cadence, you really do have an impeccable talent for bedside manner," Caitlin said, smirking lightly as she walked into the room and over to Cadence and Roy. "Pretty soon you're going to kick me out of my job."

The fire metahuman lifted a finger as she turned towards her friend. "Firstly, despite being in residency, I have a M.D. behind my name, so in situations like this, you may call me Dr. Nash." She matched Caitlin's smirk before it morphed into a smile. "Secondly, I talk to little kids day in and day out _and_ I used to be a cheerleader, so putting on a face of happiness is sort of my thing."

"Oh." Caitlin placed her hand on Cadence's shoulder. She gave a teasing smile. "If it helps, you make it very convincing."

"Yeah, well, that used to be who I really was and now that the Assassination Bureau is gone…I feel like I'm starting to become myself again." Cadence thought for a moment then reached up and took Caitlin's hand, gently moving it from her shoulder and squeezing it in hers. "I heard you stood up for me when Oliver and Diggle were telling you guys that I was working with them. I know it's all very confusing but it's really good to know that you stuck by me."

"You never gave me a reason not to." Caitlin squeezed Cadence's hand back before she turned to Roy and gave a nod of approval. "You did a good job patching him up, Cade. But…" she motioned to the wound on his arm that hadn't been healed all the way. "Is that supposed to, finally, be payback for when he shot you with arrows?"

Roy started to protest but Cadence beat him to it. "No, actually." She then snapped her fingers and a tiny flame appeared over her index finger. "This is." She swiftly moved her hand and held it by Roy's side, singing his skin with the flame. He jumped and let out a curse moving his hands to his side. Cadence laughed, patting him on the leg. "You're going to be just fine, Roy. But now I have to see to my other patient." Looping her arm through Caitlin's the two walked towards the cortex of STAR Labs. Roy jumped off of the examining table, wincing as he pressed his palm against his side, and followed them. "You know, if I take your job, you could take mine. Go out in the streets, fight some people…"

"No thanks, I'm good where I belong. Behind a computer and with Dr. Wells…" Caitlin quickly caught her trip up. "And Cisco, of course."

"Of course."

The two young women arrived at the cortex where Oliver, Diggle, Felicity, Brady, Barry, Harrison, and Cisco were all talking. Cadence released her arm from Caitlin's and crossed the room over towards Barry, intercepted by her son who she hugged and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She then placed her hands on her hips, giving Barry the once-over, causing him to avoid her gaze. "I get that you can heal yourself incredibly fast, but I'd at least like to get _one_ look at my patient," she remarked. "But if you're eating Big Belly Burger, I guess you must be okay. Pass one over?" She asked, motioning to the pile of Big Belly Burgers and Fries that sat beside the Flash. "I'm starving."

As if he was Gollum protecting the ring from Frodo, Barry instinctively twisted away, holding onto the burger he had just unwrapped. "No way, I need all of these."

"You know, if it wasn't for your metabolism, you'd be obese. I'm just looking out for your health, Barry."

"Or trying to be really clever and steal my food, Cade."

With a light shrug, Cadence teleported to the pile that sat beside him picked up a burger and a carton of fries, and teleported onto the desk next to him. He regarded her with indignation as she made a show of unwrapping her burger and taking a large bite out of it. Brady smiled up at the speedy metahuman as he took a handful of fries from the box. "I have to keep up my energy, too, Barry," she reminded him through a full mouth. "Don't forget that I worked hard, too."

Barry nodded as a light silence fell between the two of them. He then held his burger in one hand and tilted it towards her. Cadence looked at him for a second before shifting her burger to the hand closest to Barry and the two clinked them together before taking another bite. Quickly it off, Barry picked up another burger from the pile and started to unwrap it. The crinkling of the wrapper broke the silence between them and Cadence let out a light sigh.

"Look, Barry, I know you don't trust me, and I don't blame you, but, I'm sorry—"

"—Actually, I should be apologizing to you," Barry interrupted. He wiped his hands off on a napkin before resting them on the edge of the desk, kicking his long legs back and forth, the bottoms of his converses gently scuffing over the floor. He nodded over to Brady, who had then gone over to Cisco and listened as he conversed with Caitlin about the new metahumans they had locked under their feet in the pipeline. "I mean…I can't give the excuse of having been under the influence of Bivolo entirely, but I shouldn't have outed Brady like that. And even after that…I guess I get that you were trying to help him. I shouldn't have said those things I said."

 _You did, actually._ The fire metahuman shrugged, taking her time to finish the bite in her mouth before responding to him. She understood everything that he had said and the hurt that came with it; it was something she had risked when she hadn't explained herself before, when she wanted to. _I was just closed-minded about the whole thing. You didn't deserve any of that._ "You had every right to," she finally said to him, speaking slowly as if choosing her words. "I haven't been entirely honest since I first popped up in your life and…I guess it started to get to you."

"Honestly, we weren't sure if we wanted to bring you in to STAR Labs at first, but Dr. Wells insisted that Cisco make you a suit and that we allowed you to join us." He turned towards the man that sat in his wheelchair, gently taking off his glasses and cleaning them before replacing them on his face. "I mean, I was the first to give you the chance, but you should be thanking Dr. Wells." He turned towards her with a sympathetic smile. "I mean, if you're not still reeling about the whole, him being your father thing."

"Well,"—her eyebrows furrowed together as she gave an amused smile—"I think the initial shock is gone. It came at a _really_ band time, you know?"

"I'll say."

"Otherwise, despite recent circumstances, thanks for believing in me. Like I said before, I had never known anyone that I didn't have to be so guarded around. So when I figured out that there was someone in Central City that could do the same thing, I looked for you. But that was on my own merit, at the time, it had nothing to do with the Assassination Bureau. I thought you could help me find Brady and you did…and so much more so…all in all I just want to thank you for being such a good friend, Barry." She regarded him curiously, almost a bit shy. "That is…if we _are_ still friends?"

Barry twisted his mouth to the side and thought about it for a moment. Finally, he looked at Cadence out of the corner of his eye and broke his façade, laughing a little nervously at her intense stare. "If it's something that I've learned within the past…wow, almost a year, that I've been doing this, is that you don't have a lot of people that you can put your life in the hands of and know they're going to help you no matter what. I used to think, for this part of my life, that was only Cisco, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells…and Oliver. And now Felicity and Diggle and Roy…" he looked at her again. "And you."

"Well that's good," Cadence remarked. "Because if it weren't for me, you'd probably be dead." Barry gave her an incredulous look. "Well, actually, if it were for me, you'd be dead, too, so I guess that doesn't make my point."

Barry laughed. "No, not really." He finished off his last burger and tossed the wrapper to the floor. He pressed his lips together for a moment, eyebrows furrowing. "When we met…were you really looking for me?"

"I guess, I haven't really explained myself have I," Cadence remarked. She was silent for a moment then cleared her throat, speaking up so that the others could hear her. "I guess…I owe all of you guys an explanation about…everything that's been going on since I came around." Brady leaned against his mother's side and she ran her fingers through his hair before wrapping her arms around him. "Where do you want me to start? When Brady was born or back when Liver used to chase me around with snails and frogs?"

Diggle snorted loudly. "Liver?" He asked, turning over the Arrow, who pressed his lips together and gently shook his head towards the fire metahuman. "That's a new one."

"I thought you would have grown out of that by now," Oliver remarked towards her.

"It's just payback for the frogs," Cadence said. "I still have plenty of pictures in my arsenal for the snails."

"You have pictures of Little Oliver?" Felicity asked, her eyes immediately lighting up. "I want to see!" She bit her lower lip at the resulting silence that accompanied her statement. Slowly, she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. "We've been going at this for hours." She then squeezed her eyes and fists, clenching her teeth. "I mean, we're all tired, I'm not thinking straight. Please just get to your story before I manage to cram a third foot into my mouth."

Cisco held his hands over his mouth, trying to contain the laughter that was threatening to break out. Caitlin, who did her best to keep from laughing as well, elbowed him in the side and the two fell into similar stances of pressing their lips together and crossing their arms.

"Okay." Cadence tucked her hair behind her ears and let out a light sigh. "Well, now you guys know that Brady isn't my brother, he's my son. I got pregnant when I was sixteen and my boyfriend, Brady's father, wasn't allowed to see me anymore. His parents shipped him off to a boarding school shortly after we told them and I finished up the school year. After that…my parents kicked me out of the house." She absentmindedly ran her hands over Brady's hair as he tilted his head back and looked up at her critically, showing that she hadn't told him the whole truth as to why they never visited him much. "They didn't want to have their pregnant daughter around when they had so many high profile clients coming their way, not with all of the gossip and rumors because my boyfriend's Dad is one of the wealthiest in Metropolis. Apart from the Luthors, of course.

"So there I was, seventeen years old with a one year old son and having no idea where to go. So I went to the first place I knew would be far enough away and where no one would know who I was if I mentioned my name, and that was Central City." Cadence lowered her head and looked up at her friends, gauging their reaction. Despite Harrison shifting in his seat and Caitlin and Cisco exchanging glances, they all continued to stare at her. "I've lived in Central City ever since then, going back and forth to Metropolis when I needed to. I got my GED, went to Central City Community College for two years then transferred to Central City University in a program that fast-tracked me through pre-med. Went to Med school…and the rest is history, I guess. Ancient history, in a way."

"So you were here in Central City when the Particle Accelerator blew?" Caitlin asked.

The fire metahuman tilted her head to the side for a moment, lightly chewing her bottom lip. "Yes, we were. We were in our apartment when it blew and watched some of the other explosions that came from it. We heard about the casualties in the aftermath and then heard what happened with Barry and how he was put in a coma. Then like I said when I first met you guys, I thought it was sort of strange how the day that a guy wakes up form a nine month coma, who had been heavily featured on blog posts and some Facebook statuses, there was 'The Streak' or 'The Blur' or whatever it was that he was called before being called 'The Flash' that just so happened to come up around the same time. And I was excited. Finally there was someone around that could do the same things I could do since I was a little girl, and he was helping save the city in some ways. And while I know that setting a fire probably wasn't the best way to get your attention, I had it under control and knew that you would investigate it. And…that's where I met you guys.

"Apparently I wasn't the only one that noticed the existence of the Flash as Breathtaker and the others noticed and wanted to use him to, apparently, get to Dr. Wells." Her cheek twitched at the mention of her father's name, but continued with her explanation. "They must've been following him for a while, since the Accelerator explosion, to know so much about him and me. The thing is…I met Leah ages ago, when I was still at CCU and she seemed so normal. We were friends, I guess, even if she was a bit older than me. Then she introduced me to Lucas…and you can see how well that turned out."

"Did you two have a thing?" Felicity asked.

"Not even close. It was more like…he was very arrogant, and was sure that he knew better than everyone at everything. I never met whoever the _real_ Incognito or Breathtaker was before the explosion, and it wasn't until after when I went to see if Leah and Lucas were okay, that I realized they had gotten some powers. They were showing off with it at first and, while they weren't always straight-laced, they figured they could use it to their advantage and get a better life. Because, of course, money makes people happy. So they fell into the life of crime, met Breathtaker and Incognito and were convinced that becoming mercenaries was the best way for them to get there, and because Breathtaker is very convincing when he wants to be. I didn't know about the influence Leah was putting on me until I was too late into it and even then I still didn't really know until all of this."

Cadence spread her arms then rested them gently on Brady's shoulders. "And that's everything." She then snapped and held up a hand. "Actually, that's not everything. I had great control of my powers every since I was eight years old, I put a cap on it, not allowing myself to get to the point where I became dangerous to anyone else because I _had_ to keep it a secret. My parents know and apart from you guys, that's just about it. I couldn't let anyone else know in case I hurt them and having to hide it so much made me learn how to control it a lot faster. But I was confused as to how I could've gotten my powers, especially when other metahumans popped up _after_ the explosion. And I didn't know until Dr. Wells over there, told me that he injected me with something that gave me my powers."

A light laugh escaped Harrison's lips as all eyes turned towards him, slightly accusatory. "In her justified anger, Cadence seems to be forgetting that she had been placed in the hospital with a very bad fever, during this time." He looked directly at Cadence and she stared back at him. "An offset of the flu; her body wasn't responding to antibiotics and her fever continued to spike until she was hospitalized. While visiting her, I gave her a concoction that I believed would save her and it did…and then some. I had no idea it would mutate and give her her abilities. Just like I had no way of knowing the Particle Accelerator explosion would give Barry and countless others theirs."

"Now, I think that's everything," Cadence added.

"What about that fire in Smallville?" Diggle asked, staring hard at her. He nodded over towards Oliver, who perked up at the mention of it. "Through our research…we found that there was a blaze that had destroyed a good chunk of farm land down there and that you were—"

"Considered a suspect?" Cadence interrupted. She let out a sarcastic laugh. "I guess my Dad's money was good for something. Firstly, I didn't start that fire. I had nothing to do with it. But I guess at one point I wasn't careful when I was by myself and someone saw me use my powers at one point. And it was well known that the teens in Metropolis would go down to Smallville for some fun, while teens from Smallville would go to Metropolis. My friends and I always went to Smallville on the weekends to hang out. It hadn't rained there in a while and a storm came through, lightning struck a fence post or something and it started a fire. Someone started a rumor that I started it, I was investigated for a bit but then I was cleared so…"

Diggle nodded, satisfied with the answer. There was a brief moment of silence that filled the room before Cisco slowly started to raise his hand, bringing all eyes his way. His eyes were narrowed in confusion and when he had the chance to speak, he seemed unsure of what to ask as his mouth opened and closed repeatedly.

"Yes, Cisco?" Barry prompted him. "You wanted to ask something?"

"Well, where do I start?" Cisco replied. He ran a hand through his hair before starting to pace back and forth. "I really want to get to that really sweet sword that you somehow managed to create through your powers. But there's also something else I'm not so sure of. Not only is it that you clearly have the capability to bring more power to your fights, though the risk of having another seizure is great. But that also means that you have an incredible sense of control as, in life, fire is considered a really unstable element."

"Yeah," Cadence agreed. She waved a hand, prompting him to further the conversation.

"So…if you're that controlled with your powers and you can lose control when you're very emotional as we've seen before…" Cisco trailed off and turned towards Caitlin, whose eyes widened a little in anticipation. Cisco held his breath for a moment then turned back to Cadence, holding his hands up defensively. "Please forgive me if this is too forward but you have a son so…what happens when you—"

"Oh!" Cadence slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "Uhh…let's just say I set his room on fire…in more ways than one."

"And he didn't know it was you that did that?"

"No. Thankfully, he had candles lit."

"Candles?" Barry snorted, trying and failing to hide his laugher.

"We were sixteen and in love, don't judge," Cadence shot back, though she appeared amused as well. "Besides, it was better than cheesy romance music or doves, so…" She awkwardly motioned back towards Cisco. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Actually, there's a lot more, but I don't think now would be the best time to ask," Cisco pointed out as an alarm started to go off on his computer. He flopped down into his seat and pulled up a map of Central City. "Guys there are accident and fires and emergency calls coming in all over the city. We may have the metahumans in the pipeline, but it's going to take a while for the city to get put back the way it once was."

"Especially now that so many people know about metahumans," Roy added. "There have to be news footage and amateur footage everywhere."

"Just like when I first got mine," Barry agreed. He quickly explained, "One of the first few days that I woke up, Clyde Mardon attacked and robbed Gold City Banks and there were eyewitnesses that had recorded everything on their phones. If enough people come forward, then we're all going to be exposed."

"Don't worry about that," Oliver stated, reaching behind him to pull up his hood. "I can take care of it." He turned on his heel and started to walk out of STAR Labs.

"Oliver, what are you going to do?" Felicity called after him.

"You're not going to kill anyone are you?" Barry added, eyes widening with concern.

"No. I'm just going to put the fear of God in them."

"As helpful as that would be, Mr. Queen, I have another idea I think would suffice the situation that we're currently in," Harrison said. "Though as it is, I don't believe I'll need your help with it. It's late and we've all been working hard over night. I implore you to go get some sleep." He grabbed onto the control stick of his wheelchair and maneuvered himself around to leave the cortex. "We still have some work to do."

* * *

"I told you, Barry, you didn't need to walk us back to our apartment," Cadence said as he turned to the speedy metahuman as he strolled beside her. She shifted Brady up higher in her arms, moving his head to her left shoulder as he snorted quietly. "It's not _that_ far away."

"I know, but if we can't use our abilities until we're sure everything blows over, I wanted to make sure you guys got home alright," Barry said. "Especially since we don't know who else is still out here." He ran a hand through his hair before shoving them into the pocket of his jacket. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened."

"Well, I think I've proven I can take care of myself, _and you_ , but thanks all the same." The two smiled at each other as they continued on. "I'd invite you in, but it's kinda late and I'm sure I don't have nearly enough in the refrigerator. Though the ice cream seemed to last you a while."

Barry grimaced, feeling guilty about what he had blurted out when he was under Bivolo's influence once more. It didn't help that Bivolo _and_ Captain Boomerang managed to get away from their clutches throughout the chaos that had stormed through Central City. She had told him the secret after he confronted her about Brady, telling him the entire story of her relationship with his father and how she had been teased and called names all throughout school. Not to mention the snide remarks he heard sent her way from the other parents at her school when he had gone with her to pick Brady up from school as well as when the boy's class had visited the CCPD. Then he turned around and spilled her secret with the most malicious intent.

"I saw that," Cadence said to him. "You really don't have to apologize anymore. Besides, it wasn't fair to Brady for him to keep saying he was my brother and now I don't have to be so on guard about anything anymore. I'm happy it got out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am." She looked up and stopped when she recognized the front of their apartment building. "This is our place. Thanks for walking us back, Bare." She gently shifted Brady. "If he were awake, I think he'd thank you, too, but it's been a long night for all of us."

"Well, he's welcome, too." Barry reached out and ruffled Brady's hair before reaching out and giving Cadence a one-armed hug. Cadence hugged him back, squeezing him tightly. "I'll see you later, Cade. Gotta run."

Cadence laughed lightly. "Stay warm," she replied before turning on her heel and going inside.

Barry watched until they disappeared from view, suddenly overcome with a feeling of exhaustion, before looking around. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he raced back to his apartment. Changing into his pajamas, Barry went over to his bed and crashed onto it, passing out in a few minutes.

This time, he slept soundly.


	37. A Different Life

**.:37:.**

* * *

"You think this is a good idea?" Barry asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he and Harrison moved through the pipeline, towards the cells that housed the metahumans. "To let him go?" He ran a hand over his hair before moving in front of Harrison's chair and crossed his arms. "He tried to destroy the city…he has the power to take down our communication links, he managed to have a whole team of metahumans to work together with a team from A.R.G.U.S. to kill me _and_ you. Why in the world would you want to release him back to…back into the city?"

Harrison let out a light sigh, resting his cheek in his upraised palm. His blue eyes shifted back and forth for a few minutes, as if he was trying to figure out the best way to answer, before bringing his hand back down to his lap. "You've brought up some good points, Mr. Allen, however I have one more point I think you'll agree with." He cleared his throat then rolled his chair closer to the speedy metahuman. "He had the ability to put the entire city of Central City under his control with a power we're still not really sure is his only power or how he's able to do it. That's the sort of thing that many people could become…enamored with if it was found that we have that sort of metahuman."

Barry nodded lightly, eyebrows furrowing together.

"I assume you know what I'm implying when I say that," Harrison continued.

"Eiling. You're afraid Eiling is going to figure out that you have Breathtaker, and use him to continue with his super-soldier project."

"Correct. And I am very inclined to note that I'm not just thinking about our best interest, but I'm thinking about the city as well. The metahumans we've continuously had to face when they pop up are certainly not a match for the sort of things that Breathtaker can do. Especially if Eiling ends up becoming a military mastermind of some sort. So, we have an even trade." Harrison called up a cell and the doors opened to find Breathtaker floating inside, red cloak billowing out from underneath him as if there were an industrial fan underneath him. "We let him go…if he manipulates the minds of everyone in Central City back so that they don't know of the existence of metahumans and the like. Then, while they're all knocked out and have this moment in their lives replaced with a memory that isn't particularly real you will go and fix the city. Thankfully there wasn't so much damage that can't be replaced…as quick as a flash."

Barry gently shook his head, sucking his teeth into his mouth. Then he turned on his heel and started to pace back and forth. Every now and then he would turn his gaze back to Breathtaker, watching as the metahuman continued to hover, listening quietly. So they would re-arrange the minds of everyone in Central City to forget metahumans and everything that had happened that night. Would that mean that they would forget the Flash and Clyde Mardon and the Particle Accelerator explosion? _Will they forget about the Flash?_

No. No…that wasn't the way things were going to go. That wasn't going to work. There were too many what ifs and risks to take. They didn't know the extent of Breathtaker's powers or how long it would last until it wore off. Then what would happen? No, pushing away the potential existence of metahumans wasn't something they could do.

"I'll fix the city, that's not going to be a problem," Barry said, turning back to Harrison. "But we can't have them think that there aren't any metahumans after what some people saw. Even if Breathtaker managed to make them do that, there's still Iris's blog and all of the posts that are around the internet anyway. And the footage that was put on the news…"

"That can be taken care of within a matter of moments," Breathtaker commented. "Especially as what I've seen as of late, most of the sort of journalistic tendencies are digital and is something I could have erased as soon as you tell me to." He turned towards Harrison. "I do that, you let me go."

"And you leave Central City," Harrison added.

There was a long moment of silence.

"Now, Harrison, that wasn't the agreement we came to when you first presented me with this deal."

"That was before we changed the extenuating circumstances surrounding it. You get rid of all of the evidence of what happened tonight, so that it can't be broadcasted or spread anywhere else, lest General Eiling or someone equally as manipulative catches wind of it. Then we'll let you go."

Barry chewed his lower lip as he turned back to Harrison, who was now watching him intently, eyes shifting back and forth with each of Barry's movements. Barry, let out a light sigh then zipped up to the cortex, changed into his suit, then zipped back down in front of Harrison, all in the matter of a few seconds. Harrison leaned back in his seat and smiled up at the hero.

"You just focus on repairing the city and showing that you're the hero you always have been destined to be, and I'll take care of the rest of this," Harrison said. "Trust me, everything will be fine."

Another sigh escaped Barry's lips before he smiled a little. He really did trust Dr. Wells; he had no reason not to. Even when he had been kidnapped by the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau, Harrison had done his best to buy him some time, to help him, to put himself into the line of fire so that they could save the city. He was always the driving force behind the work they had done with STAR Labs, pushing him to be stronger as time went on and he did his best to continue to be the savior of the city. If he thought letting Breathtaker go— a metahuman that was far beyond his strength and power—then it was probably for a good idea. It was safer than leaving him within the pipeline where he could adapt to the intricacies of their prison and take it over before they could even blink.

"I'll be back soon," Barry promised. He slid his mask over his face and got to work.

* * *

Once finished restoring the city back to its former beauty, Barry slowed down at his apartment, Barry looked at his watch then changed into his work clothes and hurried off to the CCPD. He hurried inside, his bag bouncing against his side and immediately went to Joe's desk. Joe looked up and, when spotting him, immediately grabbed onto his arm and dragged him to the break room. He looked around o be sure there was no on inside before closing the door behind them.

"What happened to you out there?" Joe demanded. "The last thing we knew, the city was up in chaos, with you _and_ the Flash nowhere to be found." He lowered his breath, leaning towards Barry. "Am I correct in assuming that the Arrow and his company managed to help the Flash out a little bit?"

Barry raised an eyebrow before looking around the break room. He even spun around in a circle and looked towards the ceiling to double-check there was no one around. Then he turned back to Joe with a raised eyebrow. "Joe, this isn't a gossip column, there's no one around to hear us." Once he got his joke out of the way, cleared his throat. "It was a mess. The Assassination Bureau and the Suicide Squad were working with the metahuman Breathtaker and he was trying to take over the city so that he could blame it all on Dr. Wells and have him thrown in jail."

Joe's eyebrows lifted in surprise before a bemused grin slid across his face. Barry could see that he didn't really understand the entire story and he rushed to explain.

"Okay, it goes like this. Breathtaker is a metahuman that has powers that none of us can even being to know, and he managed to have Lucas, Leah, a metahuman called Incognito, and Cadence to fall under his power because he promised them money and a better life. They blindly did everything he told them to do and in Cadence's case, knew that she was actually Dr. Wells'…" Barry trailed off for a moment, knowing it wasn't his place to reveal that sort of information. "Actually a closer friend that we originally thought, and had planned this whole thing to get back at him and to use his knowledge of the particle accelerator for something. So that Leah used her mind control powers to manipulate Michael Bloom into kidnapping Brady to be sure that Cadence would help them. We didn't know at the time that the only reason that Brady was never afraid or had any lasting effects of it afterwards was because Leah mind manipulated him into thinking that everything was okay and that he would be taken back soon.

"So Cadence worked with the Assassination Bureau to leave a trail of random deaths around the city so that when they killed Dr. Wells, it would seem like an accident. And the best way to get to him was to get to me so they had Cade look for me so that she could get me _and_ Dr. Wells into custody. And while this was going on, they teamed up with the Suicide Squad as a means to get them into the city so that they could follow the progress of the drug Vertigo to be sure that the Church of Blood wasn't leaking over here and they ended up all under Breathtaker's control. Cade started to feel bad about what was going on, breaking away from Breathtaker's hold and tried to tell me what was going on, but never got the chance because the Assassination Bureau had been watching her just as much as they had been watching me and after the fight I had gotten into with Oliver, Cade, and Roy they kidnapped all of us. Then at the same time this was happening, I guess to detract from the fact they knew the Flash's identity, Breathtaker created nothing but chaos all over the city to blame it on Dr. Wells and have him run out or killed and then they would have the metahumans take over the city."

Barry finished his explanation and took a deep breath, realizing he had been rambling as the story went on. He glanced at Joe and smiled a little at the stunned expression that was held upon the man's face. Joe reached up and ran his fingers along his beard and goatee before he crossed his arms over his chest. He turned his head aside for a moment then turned back to Barry, that familiar grin sliding onto his face again before he started laughing, this time a real laugh.

Tilting his head to the side, Barry watched him for a minute before joining him with his own laughter, albeit it was a very confusing one. "What's so funny?"

"You know how you can do that thing where you vibrate your vocal chords so that no one can recognize your voice?" Joe asked. Barry shrugged and nodded. "While you were talking…you were talking so fast that you lips were moving so much so that they blurred. And I mean like,"—he brought up a finger and ran it up and down his lips, making a blabbering sound—"so I didn't hear anything you said after Breathtaker wanting to Dr. Wells and his knowledge of the particle accelerator for something."

The two laughed again and Barry shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Long story short, the Flash has cleaned everything up and the journalistic evidence of Breathtaker and his broadcast to the city has been erased." He shrugged. "Now it's mostly hearsay and potential witness accounts. But I don't know how much of that they'll believe since most people don't believe in the Flash." A pang of sadness washed over him as he turned his gaze to the floor. Barry wasn't doing any of his work with STAR Labs for the fame; he wasn't doing it for the recognition and the praise. He did it because he felt it was right and he felt in his heart he was meant to be doing it. But it would be nice if every now and then he got a 'thank you' or some sort of feeling that people were glad to have him around, rather than afraid.

"What does that mean for Breathtaker?" Joe asked. "You said he's a really powerful metahuman."

"We have to let him go," Barry explained. "It's too dangerous for him to be in the pipeline if he figures out how to take control of our system. So, he's erasing all of what happened…and we're letting him go. The rest of the metahumans, Lucas, Leah, and Incognito are staying in the Pipeline." He let out a low breath. "Breathtaker didn't really care about them and what they did for him as long as he managed to do what he needed."

"I don't know, Barry, I don't really like the idea of that."

"What other choice do we have?"

Silence stretched out between the two of them as the reality of their situation fell around them. That's what Barry had wanted to bring up to Harrison, but couldn't find the way to do so. The man instilled a lot of confidence in the decisions he made and Barry did agree with him a lot of the time. This was just something he had to trust him with, too.

Joe hummed in agreement then walked over to Barry and wrapped his arms around him. Barry reached up and hugged Joe back, feeling the man trembling and realized how scared the man had been for him once they had been out on the streets with regular humans and metahumans running around, creating chaos. Barry and seen and cleaned up the aftermath of it, but it hadn't really hit him as he hadn't been there. But knowing that Joe, Eddie, Iris and the rest of the CCPD had been out there in all of that, it really hit him.

"I'm glad you're okay," Joe said, still holding tightly onto Barry. "Last we heard was after you had gotten saved from Bivolo, then we didn't hear anything from you once the city went to hell. I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm glad _you're_ okay," Barry replied. "I don't know what I would do without you or Iris. And with all of this going on, I didn't think…" He lowered his head, feeling tears popping up in his eyes. The idea of losing them was too much to bear, let alone think about. "I'm sorry I didn't—"

"Barry, it's okay, you had a lot to do. Without you and the Arrow and the others…this city probably wouldn't still be standing." Joe patted him on the back then grinned as he pulled back. "You've done a lot to help and I know that's a heavy weight for you to bear. I'm glad you're okay. I'm proud of you." He patted Barry on the back and took a step away just as the door to the break room opened and Eddie and Iris hurried in.

Iris's gaze immediately turned to Barry and she hurried over to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Barry! I'm so glad you're okay!" She said, hugging him tightly.

Barry hugged her, gently rubbing her back as he did so. "Yeah, Iris, I'm fine." He looked down at her as she took a step back and continued to look up at him, concern washed over her face. "Look, I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to call or—"

"Of course!" Iris squeezed his arm. "The telephone and power lines have only just gotten back up. And…and the Flash ahs restored the city so now people can get back to their homes. Evacuees are coming back…" she pushed her hair back behind her ears. "Sorry, I know I'm rambling I'm just glad you're okay." She hugged him again and Barry let out a light laugh, returning the hug once more. He held onto her tightly, suddenly feeling a wave of relief wash over him, not realizing how much he had hoped that she was okay. Now that she was in front of him, safe, unharmed…

"And you too, Eddie," Barr suddenly added, lifting his gaze to meet Detective Thawne's as he placed his hands on his hips. Iris let go of Barry and he moved over to Joe's partner, unsure whether to give him a hug or to hold out his hand, but Eddie beat him to it, pulling him into a sincere-yet awkward, hug. "I heard the CCPD did a lot to evacuate the residents of the city."

"Yeah, we did everything we could," Eddie agreed. He cleared his throat, exchanging a glance with Iris and Joe for a moment. "There was only so much we could do, but we did our best. Even with the crazies running around."

"Do you remember that Harley girl, with the mallet that we had seen back in the department store?" Iris asked, bringing Barry's attention back to her. Yeah, he remembered her. The girl that had a rifle and a mallet in her ammunition and was probably more than a little bit crazy. "She was out on the streets, I ran into her when I was trying to find my Dad and Eddie. But…the Burning Man saved me. He saved us."

"Burning Man?" Barry repeated, hoping that the sudden deer-in-headlights expression that flashed across his face didn't give anything away. Joe glanced over at Barry and, recognizing the look, took a step forward.

"There was so much that went on that night, it's going to be really hard to process everything," Joe said. "As a matter of fact, I'm sure Captain Singh is going to be calling all of us in to talk about what happened and how to go on from there." He turned to Iris and leaned over, giving her a kiss on the side of the head. "Let me know when you're done with your shift, baby."

Iris rolled her eyes. "Daddy, I'm old enough so that you don't need to take me home from work."

"I know, but at the moment we're not sure how many people have taken advantage of what happened and escaped holding facilities or are armed and dangerous. I can't risk that. So call me as soon as you're done, alright."

"Fine." Iris hid a rolling of her eyes towards Barry, who smiled.

Barry followed the three out of the room, waving goodbye to Iris, before following Joe and Eddie to the lobby of the CCPD where Captain Singh had called the entire police force together. Barry leaned against the banister of the stairs as he listened to Captain Singh explain their relief efforts and what they would be doing going forward as well as increased patrols and what sort of protection they would be wearing. Barry hardly listened to what was being told to him, not only did it not specifically pertain to him, but because it wasn't exactly what his life was about anymore.

His job with the CCPD was his day job while metahuman busting—as Cisco called it—turned out to be his life. Being struck by that lightning had done more than just give him the powers he had quickly grown to love; it gave him a different outlook on life but made him realize how different he was to everyone around him. His co-workers did their jobs then went home to their families. He went to a different kind of family, to a different home than he had grown up with. But both of his lives were important to him, nevertheless.

A small smile started to stretch across his face.

And he wouldn't change anything about it.


	38. Too Late For Regrets

**.:38:.**

* * *

Cisco yawned, bringing his hair behind him into a ponytail before checking to be sure he had his wallet and phone. Whistling the Big Bang Theory theme song to himself, he headed out of his apartment. Throwing the door open he stopped short of walking directly into Bette and quickly back peddled, grabbing onto the doorknob to keep himself from falling over.

Bette, who had her raised fist seconds away from reaching the door, gave a small smile before lowering her hand to her sides. She adjusted the gloves on her hands then slid them into the back pockets of her jeans. Looking down at Cisco, who leaned against the door, trying to catch his breath, she laughed lightly before her face returned to the stoic expression she almost always held. Cisco pushed himself back up into a standing position, holding up a hand.

"I swear I should be use to this stuff by now, metahumans popping up all over the place," he remarked. "Maybe I should invest in a baseball bat or something because these flimsy doors aren't going to keep any of you out."

"Do you want to keep me out?" Bette asked.

Hearing her voice snapped Cisco back into the memories of how he had been stuck in the cell, captured by the Suicide Squad and the Assassination Bureau. He could still feel the cool concrete underneath him seep into his bones, still feel the fear and anxiety that came with not knowing what was about to come upon him and his friends as they were all systematically tracked down and captured. How she had come to check on him in his cell despite how betrayed he had felt. This was a girl they thought had died after the STAR Labs team had tried o shard to save her from a man that was hunting her down. Then she resurfaced, helping people who tried to take down Central City and one of the best mentors he had ever known, working as ruthlessly as the others.

"What are you doing here?" He finally asked.

"I wanted to explain—"

"—you don't have to explain anything." Shaking his head, Cisco turned his gaze towards the ground. He couldn't risk looking her in the face, knowing he would eventually end up spilling out everything. Things he didn't want to think about at the moment. "You made your decision; you did what you had to do. I just don't understand why you couldn't have come around and let us know that you weren't as dead as we thought." He looked her up and down. "Unless you're a zombie, which in this case could be pretty cool but still just as frightening."

"You're right when you said that I did what I had to do," Bette explained. "There were a lot of reasons I hadn't said anything or tried to seek you out, and I really need to get it off my chest." She gave Cisco a meaningful look and he took a step back, allowing her into his apartment. "I'm sorry, am I stopping you from going somewhere."

"I was on my way to go mini-golfing with the others," Cisco explained. "As a way to say goodbye and thank you and just hang out with the Arrow team before they go back to Starling City. Plus, I don't think many people know that I'm a master of mini-golf and I'm ready to be able to beat everyone." He started to punch the air, mimicking Rocky Balboa, before turning his attention back towards Bette. "I don't think you'd want to come with us. You might have somewhere else you have to go."

"I do, actually. There's somewhere I have to be but I wanted to talk to you first." She turned on her heel and strolled towards the window of his apartment that looked over the neighborhood behind him. "I understand if you don't believe anything I'm saying, but I said the same to Oliver Queen and he spared my life, so it has to be something that is enough to change opinions. If I felt this was something that I had a choice with, I wouldn't have done it, I would have worked in a different way to reach my goal but at the time it was the only thing I could think of…the only thing that was presented to me so that was going to help my situation."

"That's what Cadence said," Cisco remarked. "When talking about the Assassination Bureau." He bobbed his head back and forth. "I mean, other than having a psychotic metahuman controlling your brain and everything you see."

Another light laugh escaped Bette's mouth, but this time it was flat, not reaching her eyes or a genuine emotion. Cisco could see that. Whatever it was that was bothering her had taken hold of her entire life and was haunting her more than he had originally thought. Hearing her story the first time when she had been brought to STAR Labs and talked about her time in Afghanistan, he wondered how much of her life was really hidden by her. She was so forthcoming with that story, but had been so quiet with everything else about her before her supposed death. Now he was worried, what was she about to tell him?

"General Eiling has been chasing me around ever since the particle accelerator explosion," Bette explained. "After I escaped from him and Dr. Hadley and the tests they ran on me. The experiments, the poking the prodding…if it weren't for my will to escape, to make something of myself. I would probably still be there, stuck under their control. They tried to brainwash me the entire time, telling me they were turning me into a thing that could be of some use for the country. But I knew what they really wanted was to turn me into a nuclear weapon of some sort and I couldn't let that happen. Ever since then, General Eiling has chased be down, has hunted me like some sort of animal and I know he's not going to stop as long as I'm alive.

"I don't know if he knows that I'm alive, but it won't be long because he always seems to know where I am. That's what the Suicide Squad…what ARGUS has brought to my attention. They're aware of my situation and have given me the option of something I couldn't refuse."

Cisco shrugged, waiting for her response. There were a million things it could be, judging by the rest of the Suicide Squad, it seemed that reduced incarceration sentences were exchanged in turn for their participation in whatever it was ARGUS needed them to do. But Bette had never been placed in jail or arrested, having been, quite literally, erased form existence until she had come back to life.

"They'll kill General Eiling as long as I work with them," Bette said. "As for that…there are some things that Eiling made me do while I was running away from him. Things that I would probably be jailed for. Either way, there's something I can easily be brought down for and the Suicide Squad are going to keep me from doing that." Bette turned around and faced Cisco once more. "You can call me ruthless or a terrible person for not caring about the life of the man that has made my life a living hell; you may want to do the same to him that you've done with all the other metahumans that now reside in the particle accelerator."

"Pipeline," Cisco corrected her. "We call it the Pipeline." He reached up and scratched the back of his neck. "I suppose this means that you're going to be running off again." Bette shrugged and nodded. "Well, as far as running away to Starling City can take you."

"I'll be back," Bette promised. "I mean, there's something about Central City that makes me feel free. I mean, you and the rest of STAR Labs were the first ones to make me feel like something more than the powers I have." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I don't know if I've said it before, but I'm very grateful for that."

"Yeah, well, there had to be at least one metahuman out there that didn't end up being inherently evil," Cisco remarked. "I'm just glad we found that our before the whole place was blown up or something." He sniffed then held his hand out towards her. "I hope you find everything you're looking for while you're part of them, I can see that I can't change your mind to stick with us." Bette agreed with him.

"Thank you, Cisco," Bette said honestly. She reached out her gloved hand, hesitated for a second, and then shook his, gently squeezing it. "You really made me feel welcome here and I'm not going to forget that." She then dropped her hand. "I'd give you a hug but I don't know how that would work out…I wouldn't want to accidentally blow up your clothes or anything."

"Yeah…about that…" Cisco crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a serious look. "You destroyed my suit. I'd like full retribution for that."

"How about the next time I'm in Central City we can get something to eat and catch up?" Cisco smiled and nodded. Bette smiled and nodded back before giving him a short wave. "I should get going. Goodbye, Cisco."

Cisco lifted his gaze towards the explosive metahuman and looked deep into her eyes. He wanted to be able to see the person he and the rest of STAR Labs got to know before her past haunted her on a daily basis, "Goodbye, Bette."

* * *

Barry pressed his lips together then lifted his head to study the plastic mountain that stood in front of him. He looked back at the rounded hold that rested at the base, the green felt leading up to it, then turned back to the light red ball that rested at his feet. Taking in a deep breath, he started to bring his putter back and forth, stopping seconds before he hit the ball.

Behind him, a low growl came from Caitlin. "Would you please just hit the ball, Barry? Cisco already went through this stupid routine, we don't need it from you, too." She placed a hand on her hip, the other balancing her gold club by her waist. "We have to be considerate of the other park guests."

"What guests?" Roy reminded her. He gestured around the empty mini-golf complex. "Oliver bought out the whole place, remember?"

"I wasn't sure if you guys wanted witnesses to your utter and crushing defeat," the billionaire commented, a light smile coming to his face. "I mean, I do have a bit of an advantage. My Dad and I used to go golfing all the time."

"Where? Your own private golfing island?" Cadence asked with a light roll of her eyes.

"Actually it was the Starling City Country Club," Oliver corrected her with the ease of rattling off his bank account number. "Don't act like you've never been there." Behind him, Felicity and Diggle both exchange a look and a smile before they laughed.

Barry stood up straight, turning away from his golf ball. "Could the peanut gallery please be quiet over there?" He asked. "I'm trying to concentrate." Cisco held his hands up and took a step back away from the speedy metahuman. He tilted to the side, watching as Barry turned his attention back to his golf ball and finally swung at it. But at the same time he struck the ball, Cisco made a loud sneezing sound, causing Barry to hit the ball at an odd angle. The speedy metahuman let out a groan of annoyance as the ball veered off to the right, just missing the hole of the mountain. "Cisco!"

"What?" Cisco gave a disarming smile as he shrugged. "I can't help it that I needed to sneeze."

"And you have to do that on almost every hole we've played so far?" Felicity asked.

"It's called allergies."

"It's called being allergic to bullshit," Roy replied, causing the group to laugh once more.

"The next time you do that, I'm going to melt your club," Cadence added, picking up her own club and gently poking him in the chest. "I don't have to physically touch it to be able to do that, you know?" She then moved up and pushed Barry out of the way so that she could get her chance to try and get her golf ball through the mountain.

"Would you want Brady to hear you talking like that?" Felicity teased. She moved to take her spot at the hole and ran her hands along the sides of her jeans before taking a shot. She grinned as it easily sailed through the hole and came out the other side, falling into the little cup at the bottom of the green. "Where is he anyway? I thought he would like to come."

"He's at the Wests," Cadence explained. "Apparently he took a bus to STAR Labs the day that everything went on and the bus driver called it into the police. Detective West took that call and confronted him about it once everything was calm and I told him who he really was and he insisted on taking him today when I mentioned looking for a babysitter." Cadence tilted her head towards Caitlin. "Cait offered at first but then I basically blackmailed her into coming."

"With what?" Roy asked with an amused smile.

Cadence ignored his question. "So, for the moment, Iris and Eddie are the only ones that don't know about Brady but now that I told him that he doesn't have to hide it, I'm sure he's telling just about anyone that crosses his path. He always was a chatty one."

"He must get it from you, then," Cisco remarked with a light laugh. "Because you haven't stopped talking since I met you." Once the fire metahuman turned her gaze his way, he let out a whimpering sound and dove behind Caitlin, checking his clothes to be sure they hadn't suddenly been set on fire.

Shaking his head, Barry moved off to the side, standing by Oliver, and watched as their friends continued to joke around as they took their turns at the hole. He crossed his arms over his chest, turning towards Oliver as Felicity and Caitlin ganged up on Cisco, who had just ruined Diggle's shot at a hole—again—causing the man to tighten his grip around his golf club, as if seconds away from swinging it into the young Latino's head.

"And to think that a place like this could've been destroyed during that last fight," Oliver remarked, a sarcastic tinge to his tone. "And we would miss all of the fun that mini golfing could bring to us." He held up a hand. "Not that I don't find it very enjoyable, now I know something to do that will push Diggle's buttons to the point that he'll completely crack." He laughed and glanced over at Barry as he smiled, but didn't join into the laughter. "What's going on, Barry?"

That was the problem; Barry wasn't entirely sure what was wrong. Everything was perfect by this point. He was able to reveal his secret to more people and know that they had his back whenever needed, even if they were in a completely different city, he saved his own city from being completely destroyed, saved Wells from being killed. A lot of things were going well, but he couldn't shake the thought of Breathtaker still being out there. How could Wells let him go like that, only for the return incentive that Breathtaker would keep the existence of metahumans from getting out? They could deal with it, especially since the Flash himself was a metahuman, it just made no sense.

"I just can't help but think there was more that we could've done," Barry finally replied, turning to look at Oliver, whose eyebrows furrowed together. "Anything other than just capturing his lackies, letting the Suicide Squad get pulled back, and letting him go? I mean, apart from, to quote you, 'put the fear of God into him' what would you do?"

The corner of Oliver's lips tugged upwards. He couldn't help it, as annoying as he found Barry to be when he first met the young scientist in Starling City, he certainly had grown on him. There was something about his wide-eyed innocence of the world that seemed to illuminate everything around him was unmistakable. He was one of the few people to stand up to Oliver when he had been in Starling the first time around, before revealing that he had only been there so that he could get a step towards figuring out who killed his mother. He told Oliver off, telling him he was a jerk and alienating those around him, then immediately turned and helped save his life as well as figure out how he was going to solve the case they had been working on at the time, and gave him the mask that eventually became a staple of his suit as the Arrow. He even stood up for him when Detective Wet and Dr .Wells were bad mouthing him, all without a second of thought.

It was no doubt Barry would be a little worried about Breathtaker being set free.

"Please don't tell me that you're starting to lose faith in yourself, Barry," Oliver said to him.

"I'm not," Barry insisted. "I just…I have a lot of questions, I guess," he said. "Things I don't understand." He glanced at Oliver before taking a quick step away from him. "I thought about asking you, but I don't know if I'd end up with more arrows poking out of my back."

"I only did that to be sure that you knew how to study your surroundings."

"And everyone else that you ever come across?"

"They've done enough bad things that constitute getting an arrow to the chest." Oliver tilted his head to the side. "Or the knee as the case may be." He picked up his club and the two heroes followed their friends as they moved onto the next hole, which was the windmill.

"Or you're just a trigger happy maniac."

"Have you been talking to Officer Lance?"

Barry laughed then tilted his head back towards the sky. He tapped his golf club against the tips of his shoes rhythmically. "I just keep thinking there was something else we could do. If we kept him in there, we could, I don't know, figure out if he was working for someone or something."

"The last thing you need to worry about, Barry, is consistently wondering if there was something different you could do to get a better outcome and I'm not just talking about your work as the Flash," Oliver explained. "This can go with life in general, because I know you're still working hard on figuring out who killed your mother, as you've mentioned when you were in Starling City." Barry brought a hand up and ran it through his hair, a sigh puffing out his cheeks. "I have the same issues when I first started my work, especially when there were those that got caught up in harms' way. It takes a while, but you have to change your way of thinking about scenarios that you can't change. The past is the past and unless you can figure out how to go back in time, there's no means for you to be able to do anything different."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Barry remarked. He tilted his head and gazed towards his friends as they all started to cheer once Caitlin got a hole in one around the windmill. She turned and grinned at her friends before giving a mock bow then going over to Cisco and patting him on the head as he pouted. "I mean, you managed to make some friends when before you were acting like such a hermit."

"I don't think I was as bad as Harrison Wells, but I did have a secret I needed to protect," Oliver reminded him.

"So do I," Barry agreed. "But unlike you, I don't think keeping people so far away is the best way to move through life."

"And I'm sure that's going great with Iris."

The subject change caused Barry's head to whip around and gaze up at his older friend, who stared back at him. The speedster's eyebrows furrowed together as he absorbed the words that swirled through his mind. "I…I don't….how…" he then brought his hands up and laughed lightly. "Iris and I are just friends." Now a light, almost irritated sigh, escaped Oliver's lips before he moved his lower jaw to the side.

"Please keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better, and I don't mean to use those words to imply that I don't believe you, because I don't. I just want you to hold onto the thought that there are consequences to this sort of lifestyle, something I believe all of us are dealing with in their own ways. And some of those lifestyles are not being able to get what we truly want out of life and despite your attitude of being able to get everything you want, it's not going to work out."

Barry continued to shake his head. "Well, unlike you, Oliver, I have hope," he said firmly. His ever present smile slid back onto his face.

"Yeah…has anyone ever told you how annoying that can be?"

"You're just jealous that you have to use force for things to go your way while I have—"

"Blind, stupid hope?"

"If you want to call it that, sure." Barry held out his arm, allowing Oliver to take his shot on the windmill, missing as the plank clipped the ball at the last second. He then pressed his hand against Oliver's chest and moved him back out of the way. "Watch and learn." Tilting his head to the side he studied the windmill, a map of figures and angles appearing in front of him, analyzing which was the best way to get around taking a shot on the hole. Finally, he turned and stuck his golf ball with the putter and watched as it rolled through and sank into the hole at the end.

"Okay, I give up," Cadence remarked. "None of us are going to beat them at this so I don't know why we're still trying."

"You're just mad this sport takes more than just swinging wildly and hoping you don't hit anyone with a wayward ball," Barry remarked with a smile wide enough to cause the fire metahuman to stick her tongue out at him and shove him on the side.

"Yeah, thanks for that," Diggle commented, rubbing a small knot that was still on his forehead. It wasn't as big as it was when he first received it off of a hard bank shot from the pirate ship. "I was starting to forget this thing was there."

"Sorry, Mr. Diggle, I guess I don't know my own strength," She said sheepishly, dimples appearing in her cheeks as she smiled.

"Let's just be glad that with your tantrum over losing so badly that you haven't set this whole course on fire," Roy replied, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I'd hate to see what would ever happen if you lost a game of tic-tac-toe."

"Don't play Operation either," Caitlin deadpanned, twisting her mouth to the side. "That game is impossible to win and it has more than enough inconsistencies with the human body that I can't believe it was passed off as a children's game." She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, remembering how she had lost so badly in a game against a metahuman that could play that, ping-pong, and chess al at the same time.

"Oh Caitlin, you really need to get over that," Barry commented. He took a step back aw Caitlin now moved to take a swing at him. He zipped to the other side of the group, holding up his golf club to defend himself. "It's not my fault I'm really good at that game…and just about everything else at high speeds."

"And you guys say _I_ have an ego?" Oliver asked, motioning to himself.

"That's because you do," Felicity pointed out. "Every guy has one; they always have to overcompensate for something." She closed her eyes and turned towards Diggle, who laughed and reached out, putting his arm around her shoulders and gently patting her on the side of the head. "I really need to work on this."

"Tell you what," Oliver said to Barry. "If you beat me at this game, then I'll admit that you're the better hero." He paused. "You're not, by the way. But I'll let you think that."

"That's a great incentive," Roy commented, lightly rolling his eyes. "I mean, we already know that Oliver's better anyway. He has the experience and the strength."

"But Barry has the speed," Cisco remarked. "You can become invincible to literally anything if you can get away fast enough."

" _And_ he can heal himself," Cadence added. "I don't really think Oliver can do that."

"He can," Roy insisted. "Just in a different way."

"One that'll get him killed before anything else. But that's not surprising; Liver has always been one that works impulsively rather than with his head. How many times have you gotten into fights with other girls' boyfriends?" She shifted her teasing gaze to Oliver, who twisted his mouth to the side in annoyance. "About ten times?"

"And running right into a battle, showing off their speed is a _good_ idea?" Diggle added.

"Better than waiting and watching," Cisco said.

Felicity sighed heavily, tilting her head back as she muttered something about silly superhero fights. Barry turned back to Oliver and held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?" He asked.

Olive grinned and took Barry's hand, shaking it firmly. "Deal," he replied.


	39. The Moment Of Truth

**.:39:.**

* * *

Caitlin pulled open the door to Jitters and looked around as she slowly stepped into the coffee shop. She looked around; noticing how quiet and empty the place was so early in the morning. Then again, she usually wasn't the one that was out and about so early. Normally she would be back at her apartment going through her yoga routine, reading the newspaper as well as going over the scientific journal _BioEssays_ , and watched the news before going off to work where she would arrive right on time and get straight to work on…whatever it was they did while waiting for a metahuman or some other problem to pop up on their radar.

This time, however, she opted to skip all that and start a new routine. To do something different. Or at least have some more time to herself, to get through what had happened with Breathtaker and all of that. She didn't think that any of the others really thought about that from time to time, that despite Barry being the one that was doing all of the work, those at STAR Labs continuously put their lives and their psyche in danger as well. And this time, Caitlin wanted nothing more than to relax. Besides, if something was going to happen again, it was going to be too soon and she needed to be ready for it.

Allowing the door to close behind her, Caitlin walked up to the counter and grabbed Iris's attention, who immediately turned towards her with a bright smile. "Caitlin, hey! I didn't think I would see you here so early." She looked at her watch. "Does work really start at eight AM for you?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Caitlin replied. She smiled, pulling her purse up her shoulder. "I don't think I've seen you in here so early. And actually smiling." Iris laughed as she used her index finger to push a strand of fallen hair from her face. "I don't think it has anything to do with the coffee, honestly."

"You noticed," Iris said. She leaned back for a moment before resting her arms on the counter and leaned towards Caitlin. "Between you and me I don't think much about this job can have me smile so much as when I'm allowed to bring my favorite flavors in." She then motioned to her face. "I'm just glad to see a friendly face so early in the morning. Especially once Eddie stops complaining about having to go to our dance class."

"Dance class?" Caitlin repeated.

"Yeah, Eddie and I go to Cadence's Zumba class nearly every morning. That's where I was; I come into my shift right after the class. It's a good extra shift and I'm already energized as it is." She blinked for a moment then laughed. "I'm sorry; did you want something to drink? Something to eat?"

"Oh, right! Yeah, I'd like a….hazelnut coffee, please."

"Coming right up. Please sit anywhere you'd like."

Caitlin smiled and nodded before turning around and looking for a place to sit. Not that there were many spots taken over. There were a few older men sitting in the corner of the store, as well as a middle-aged man looking at a newspaper on the couch by the door. Dropping her purse from her shoulder, the bioengineer sat down at an empty table. She picked up a napkin and flapped it open, just as the doors to Jitters opened once more. She looked up and waved as Cadence and Brady came in through the doors, the eight year old immediately beelined to Caitlin and nearly crashed into her table.

"Hi, Caitlin!" He greeted her.

"Hi, Brady," Caitlin replied. She laughed as he pulled himself up into a chair and looked at her before taking a napkin, shook it out, and rested it on his lap as well. "How are you doing? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Parent-teacher conferences, I don't have school today," He said. An impish smile came onto his face.

"Lucky you."

"Yeah…lucky him," Cadence said. The fire metahuman exchanged a smile with Caitlin before dropping into the seat next to him. "He's the one that gets to stay home all day playing video games and stuff while I actually have work to do." Brady reached out and tapped her on the arm. "Yes?"

"Don't forget we're going to get me a cell phone, too," he reminded her.

"Right." Cadence smiled back at Caitlin, tough the bioengineer could tell that it was a slightly annoyed once. "That, too. Not to mention that I just brought him to my dance class and he wouldn't sit still." She turned back to her son. "I gotta tell you kid, I love you, but you have wayyyyy too much energy for me sometimes." She reached out and ruffled his hair as he laughed.

Caitlin smiled and laughed along with them before turning her attention to Iris as she came to their table with her order of hazelnut coffee as well as Cadence's hot chocolate and blueberry muffin and Brady's chocolate muffin. Smiling her thanks towards Iris, Caitlin took her drink and brought it up to her mouth, taking a light sip. She watched as Cadence blew on her drink before handing it over to Brady who eagerly took a sip. A light, albeit sad smile came to her face as she remembered it was what she had wanted out of life at one point. Where she and Ronnie actually would've been able to go through with their wedding, go on a fantastic honeymoon, have a great life together, have kids…when she was young she never thought she would be the kind of person that would get married. From a young age she was all about her career, wanting to hit specific goals by specific age ranges, but then coming across Ronnie Raymond and seeing how he had changed her life…

Even his death had changed her in many ways. She became cold, reserved, and immersed in her work. But as much as it hurt whenever she thought of her lost fiancé, she couldn't help but be a bit grateful for what happened. If the particle accelerator hadn't gone up, she wouldn't have met Barry or the others, wouldn't be doing a lot of different work that would save so many lives over the course of the last few months, she wouldn't have come alive again. She wouldn't have found something that would take her mind off of her old life and learn how to live again. Now she found herself smiling and enjoying life more than she had ever before.

 _Though I suppose I have Harrison to thank for that._ The thought popped into her head before she could stop it, causing her to cough lightly. She placed her mug back on the table and brought her napkin up to her mouth to catch the spray, feeling her face reddening. _Of course you had to think that,_ she scolded herself. It was what she thought about when she wasn't thinking about the times they've kissed. It was just so…strange, yet nice. It made her feel like she was a whole person again, knowing someone cared about her so much…and yet he was her boss, her mentor, the guy that Barry and Cisco looked up to when it came to their work in STAR Labs. Not to mention he was Cadence's father. _Geez, you can never do anything straight forward can you?_

"Is everything okay, Cait?" Cadence asked.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine."

She coughed once more before managing to calm down. Now if only her face would turn down from the crimson hue that seemed to pop up whenever Harrison was concerned. She was surprised she managed to keep a straight face when they were in the same room together since their first kiss. But that was exciting about it as well, keeping it a secret between the two of them where no one else was concerned. Sort of like the relationship she and Ronnie had. At first, they hadn't told anyone about their dating due to working together and that had worked out well. _So this will work out, too, right?_ She brought a hand to her forehead and lightly shook it. _You think too much, Caitlin. Why don't you just let the cards fall where they fall?_

"Are you sure?" Brady piped up. "You look kinda funny."

"I'm fine," Caitlin insisted. She cleared her throat before giving the two another smile. This time, thankfully, it was a convincing smile as the young boy nodded and went back to destroying his muffin. His mother, however, changed the subject to Caitlin's internal gratitude.

"So, I don't know if Barry told you, but I was thinking of going back into my residency," Cadence said. She brought her mug of coffee to her mouth and took a tepid sip, watching Caitlin as her eyebrows rose in surprise. It was her understanding that she was taking a break from the program due to the work she was doing, working alongside Barry. Fighting metahumans could be very time consuming and although she had the power of teleportation, she couldn't move nearly as quickly as Barry. And even on a good day he had trouble coming up with an excuse as to why he disappeared for stretches of time.

"And I was thinking, maybe, you could be my study partner when I need help? We could make a night of it. You could help me with my homework, we could watch movies, and plan our domination where women rule and men are used as breeding stock."

Caitlin tilted her head back and laughed loudly. "I don't think I can say 'no' to that."

Brady's nose wrinkled. "What does breeding stock mean?"

"It's not anything you have to worry about, Brady, trust me," Caitlin said, still laughing a little bit. She finished her mug of coffee and placed it aside. Glancing at the receipt that was left at the table, she opened her wallet and looking through it for her card. Quickly bypassing the picture she had of her and Ronnie inside, she grabbed a few dollars and dropped it onto the table. "Other than getting a phone, what are you plans for today?"

"Closing in on some apartments." Cadence rolled her eyes at the prospect of having to go out and listen to more people give more tours of more apartments that always seemed to have something wrong with them. "Hopefully I'll find something this time around. What with Breathtaker and the Suicide Squad being around, we shouldn't be staying there anymore."

"Well, let me know if you need any help. I had a great realtor for my place and for a great price too. I'd be glad to help out." Caitlin looked at her watch then gathered her things together. "I have to get to work, I'll see you later."

"It figures; no matter what you do you always have to be punctual. This is the reason that I wanted to put out that ad in the personals, for someone to teach you how to have fun because you clearly don't know how to have it."

"And considering that we all managed to fall into a screaming match over whoever is the better superhero out of Barry and Oliver, I'd like to think that my reasoning for that are justified." Caitlin hooked her purse over her shoulder and waved to the Nashes before leaving Jitters. She got into her car and started the drive towards STAR Labs.

Once arriving, she went to the cortex, only to find Harrison staring at the large monitor across the room, watching the news. He barely acknowledged her, his blue eyes staring hard at the low volume report that was coming through. The young woman glanced at the screen and watched as the reporters spoke once more about the riots that had raced through Central City and how the Flash was continuing his efforts to clear up the city for the residents. Caitlin couldn't help but smile a little, knowing that Barry was hearing about his work whether via the news reports or through his co-workers at the CCPD.

"It's only matter of time until people believe in him," Caitlin remarked, grabbing Harrison's attention.

"Yes, well, let's just hope that Mr. Allen doesn't allow it to get to his head," he replied. A light smile stretched across his lips before h could keep himself from smiling entirely. "Though he does deserve the opportunity to celebrate every once in a while." Reaching up, Harrison turned off the TV with the remote and placed it on the counter beside him. He then turned his wheelchair around and headed towards Caitlin as she sat at her desk, waiting for her computer and monitor to load. "There aren't many people around that can do what he does and he's done a great service to this city."

"He has," Caitlin agreed. She gave Harrison a knowing smile. "But you and I both know that at some point it actually _is_ going to go to his head and we'll have to pull him back down to Earth, Harrison." She then paused and looked around, noticing Cisco's empty desk. He always seemed to be at work the same time she arrived, she hoped he didn't hear her reference to their mentor in such a casual way. Not when they already said it was probably good idea if they laid low for a while.

Harrison seemed to have noticed her apprehension for his turned his smile towards her. "No need to worry, Caitlin, Cisco isn't scheduled to come in until after lunch."

"Oh." A sudden shot of nerves flashed through Caitlin's gut. A good, butterfly, fireworks sort of feeling. The same sort of feeling she hadn't felt since Ronnie. _Who's gone now and you have to think about the present,_ she reminded herself. "And you wouldn't allow me to sleep in."

"Not when I already have so many plans for you." Harrison's eyes moved over Caitlin's face before lowering for a few moments then went back to her face. His smile seemed to widen at the corners before he took his hands off of the armrests of his wheelchair and placed them on top of Caitlin's. "There are a few things I'd like to speak with you about, things I don't trust conversing with someone other than you."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, quite. Though the first thing I'd like to mention is that while it may seem like I don't know what I'm doing, my decision to let Breathtaker go is a very reasonable one. Not only can I not allow our technological advances corrupted by a metahuman of his caliber, but it shall also bring us some insight into the sorts of people and connections he has if he was able to get to someone with the wealth and political power as the Mayor."

"You do have a point," Caitlin remarked. She turned her hand and, slowly, nervously, laced her fingers between Harrison's. "If the Assassination Bureau was doing their work as hit men of sorts, there were some people that had asked for those that ended up dead to be killed. Having Breathtaker out there might give us an idea on the sort of people he works with. Maybe find out if there's a sort of plot we can stop early. Maybe a plot against the Flash, now that metahumans are well known." She nodded. "That makes a lot of sense. But what does that mean for STAR Labs. Will we lose our jobs?"

"I told you once you, Cisco, and the others started that you were in n o danger of losing your jobs." Harrison squeezed her hands before leaning back. "Not only is it that I've chosen the best and brightest out of as many fields I could think of, but I wouldn't want to be responsible for your career falling apart, again."

She didn't think of it that way. Not as much as she had before. There was a big part of her life that was basically cast into shame; her family and friends avoided the topic as they knew it would be too difficult for her to talk about it as they were under the impression she would be cast out of any science limelight. If it wasn't for her decision to stay at STAR Labs with Cisco and Harrison from the very beginning, where he promised them that once they got the particle accelerator and their labs up and running again their reputations would be intact, she wouldn't know where she would be at the moment.

"My career is going great, Harrison," Caitlin reminded him. "I don't blame you for anything that's happened."

His right eyebrow rose as his mouth tightened. "Not even for Ronnie."

Her breath caught in her throat for a second, as it nearly always did when her former fiancé was mentioned. However, it wasn't as crippling as it had been in the past, she was moving on. That's what Ronnie would have wanted her to do. They had spoke about it before, shortly after having gotten engaged. It was their compromise, if something with their jobs happened and one of them didn't make it as long as the other, they'd want the other one to move on and not dwell. It wouldn't help to continue to have the remaining one go along in a sort of whirlwind all the time.

"Ronnie did what he did to save me and the rest of the STAR Labs personnel. If he hadn't, we all may have ended up…" she swallowed hard. "If he hadn't who knows where we would all be right now. I might not be here with you."

Now his blue eyes narrowed a little bit as he regarded her carefully. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I'm sure." Caitlin chewed her lower lip for a moment then slid her hands out of Harrison's and placed them on his cheeks. She leaned in and gave him a kiss to which Harrison responded to immediately, grasping her firmly in his hands in an almost possessive way. The warmth that radiated off him rolled into her, causing her to feel…strange. No, not strange. Whole. Finally allowing herself to fall into her feelings and what she wanted. She was surprised when Harrison broke the kiss, quickly backed away. "What's wrong?" She brought her hands up to her hair and started to pat down the flyaway strands, then checked her breath. "Did I do something…was this a bad idea?"

"Not in the slightest," Harrison reassured her. "There's just something I need to show you." He held out his hand and Caitlin took it, letting out a surprised squeak when he pulled hard on her hand, causing her to fall into his lap. He waited as she wrapped her arms around his neck, settling onto his lap as he grabbed onto the joystick and directed his wheelchair out of the vortex.

Caitlin watched silently as Harrison directed them around STAR Labs, then frowned when she realized he was taking her to a part of the building she had never been to before. That wasn't entirely true, she had been around nearly every room, hallway, and floor of the laboratories, but she didn't understand why he was coming to a stop in front of a blank wall. Harrison reached around Caitlin, causing his chest to press against her, warming her once more, and laid his palm flat on the wall. There was a bright light that scanned his palm and the panel on the wall opened.

"What?" A light gasp escaped Caitlin's lips as they rolled inside, allowing the door to close behind them. As they did so, the room illuminated and Caitlin looked around. She slowly got off of Harrison's lap and stared down the silvery hallway with bright lights that lined each and every wall. There didn't seem to be anything there. "What is this place?" She turned around and stopped on a dime.

In front of her was a glass case that held a suit. Not just any suit, but a yellow suit that appeared very familiar. As she walked closer to the case she studied the suit to every lat detail; taking in the little red lightning bolts that were festooned in strategic places, the hood that covered the most important places of the face to hide the identity of the wearer…She continued to gape at it, all intelligent thought leaving her head as the horrific realization set in. Slowly, she turned around to face Harrison, who watched her with an innocent curiosity. When her eyes locked on his, he tilted his head to the side for a moment, letting out a low breath then composed himself.

"There's a reason I'm showing you this," Harrison said. He grasped the arms of his chair and slowly came into a standing position, moving away from his wheelchair as Caitlin gaped at him with wide eyes. "I hope I can trust you."

* * *

Harrison ran his fingertips along the piano keys that sat in front of him, focusing on the light melody that came from them. He cracked his knuckles then started to move his fingers across the keys in a dizzying pattern that created the classical symphony he enjoyed listening to so much. Though classical music was never really something he had always enjoyed himself, it was Tess that got him into it. Since her death he hadn't done much work on the piano, now he found a reason to do that, to allow the sadness and melancholy to come out from his fingertips rather than the wistful sighs and long nights of constantly questioning his own motives.

And as the music swirled around him, he allowed himself to get lost in the music that continued to flow from his fingertips. He closed his eyes and gently rocked back and forth as the composition called for harder pressings and softer strokes against the ivories. Finally, as the music died down, the doorbell rang, breaking him out of his thoughts. At first, he felt his muscles tense, the same way they always did when he had a unexpected visitor, but they relaxed momentarily afterwards as he remembered he had indeed called someone over to the house to speak to. Pushing himself away from the piano, Harrison got to his feet and went over to his wheelchair. He sat down and directed it over to the front door where he pressed a button on the wall, causing the doors to open.

"Glad to see you've found the place," Harrison said as Cadence and Brady walked through the doors. He waited for the doors to open all the way before pressing the button to close them once more. "I do have the tendency to keep my life private so I can understand it may have been hard to find."

"We passed it four times," Brady remarked as he followed his mother through the foyer as Harrison directed them towards the living room. He slowed, taking in the extravagance of the place. "We would've teleported, but Mom can't teleport unless she's been to the place before."

"That's something we'll have to train her to do, it's a very simple fix," Harrison remarked. He motioned for the two of them to sit down on the couch before rolling up in front of them. "But that is not the reason that I've asked you over here today."

"I didn't think it would be the reason why," Cadence said.

She leaned back, crossing her legs at the knee and resting her hands in her lap. Harrison smiled as he noticed the movement of her hands, the way she ran her thumb over the knuckles of her fingers as her fingertips were curled into a loose fist, the same way he did absentmindedly. He could see her other thing she did in her mannerisms; the way she spoke when she was angry, her hard stare, some of her expressions when she was irritated. But there were things in her he could see that was resembling of Tess; her smile, her dimples, and her excitement for life.

To think he had managed to miss so much out of life—his own and hers—all because he and Tess had made a decision they thought was the best for them at the time. Though he wasn't one to dwell on what could have been, especially with things he couldn't control, there were still decisions in life he knew people never got over. Giving up his daughter and agreeing to the ramifications of that adoption was one of them.

"Though it is something I need to address at other points, there is one big key point I'd like to address that we haven't for a while," Harrison said. He leaned back in his seat. "With the high-intensity attacks we have gone through from the mass attack that was of the Assassination Bureau and the Suicide Squad, there really wasn't much time to speak about some of the things that have been revealed."

"You mean being my grandpa?" Brady blurted out from where he stood in the corner of the room, looking over at vase. At Cadence's disapproving glance, he put the vase down and scurried over to his mother's side. "Sorry."

"That's alright," Harrison said quickly. "I suppose I should make this place appear that someone actually lives here rather than it resembling a museum." He looked up towards the glass ceiling that allowed the sunlight to stream into the room in fantastic rays. "I'll put it on my list to get some…entertainment or something for the next time you come by."

"You just said you keep your private life private, Dr. Wells," Cadence pointed out. He cleared his throat lightly at the mention of his formal name coming from his daughter's mouth since the truth had been revealed. "Why would we come by again?"

Now Harrison slowly nodded. He understood. It probably wasn't the best thing to assume would happen. Especially when she only found out about her true parentage when in the middle of trying to save Central City from the latest threat. Knowing that her life had quickly fallen apart after having gotten pregnant probably didn't help matters much, making it appear that no one in her family had wanted her.

"I'd hope that you'd want to. I apologize for the ways things were revealed to you, but I had always thought of it happening in a different way. I thought I would get the chance to sit you down and be able to explain everything once I was sure you were ready for it." With that, he reached over to the folder that sat on the table beside him and opened it. "In case you were wondering whether or not what was said was untrue." Cadence reached out and took the birth certificate from him, looking over it. He watched as the metahuman studied the sheet of paper. "Not to mention, as I had explained before, Tess and I have stuck around in your life as much as we possibly could and were allowed to. I was also telling you the truth when I said I've always been watching what you were doing."

Brady made a face. "That sounds as creepy as the tooth fairy."

When Harrison glanced at him in confusion, Cadence waved a hand as she rolled her eyes. "When he lost his first baby tooth I explained about the Tooth Fairy. He said, apart from the money, he didn't like the idea because 'why would anyone want to come into his room late at night'?"

A light laugh escaped Harrison's lips. It was actually very smart, especially considering the things that managed to go on when it was just metahumans rather than figments of imagination and ways to bribe kids into being good. It wasn't a completely unfounded idea, as it is it was probably something he himself had thought of when he was young. It reminded him, once again, how much the young boy reminded him of himself when he was young.

"Considering what I had done to you, to give you your powers, I wanted to be sure you were safe," Harrison changed the subject back to what they had been speaking about before. "Through that I celebrated all of your successes and had been there to mourn your falls."

"You mean like when I got pregnant right?"

"I hadn't known about that as you had done a great job on keeping that secret, though I and many others understand your reasoning as to making that decision. Though with the way Kent and Maya reacted to it, I'm not surprised you went down the path you ended up going. As it is, I don't see it much of a failure as others do. The fact you decided to keep Brady proves you're a lot stronger than I was when I had that decision." A bashful smile came onto Cadence' face as she lowered her head, allowing her hair to fall into her face. "I apologize for the way things turned out, but I did what I felt was right."

There was a long moment of silence before the fire metahuman brushed her hair back out of her face. "I guess I understand your reasoning for it, you just wanted what was best for me. So I could have the best life possible. I want the same thing for Brady and that can be hard to do sometimes." She turned back towards her biological father and let out a light sigh. "Thank you. I'm not saying it's going to be easy…but I think…I'm not against working on strengthening our relationship. As it is, for the past couple of months, you've been a better father to me than…my Dad…has." She gently shook her head. "This is so confusing."

"Does this mean that scary hermit man really is my grandfather?" Brady asked. Cadence moved to hide her laughter as Harrison blinked and turned to his daughter in confusion. Sensing his mistake, Brady quickly covered his mouth and moved to hide behind his mother.

"Scary hermit man?" Harrison repeated.

"It's a long story." Cadence waved her hands, still trying to hold in her laughter. Finally, she cleared her throat, calming down long enough to hold a straight face. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure there's more metahuman stuff that's more interesting to worry about."

"What will you do in the meantime? Now that everything's out in the open. I believe you're more like Tess in the means that you won't let things go once they're brought up to you."

Brady turned to his mother. "I want to go see Gramma and Papa." He didn't shy away from direct eye contact with her. "You said they were mad at you, that they kicked you out, that you were still mad at them. I don't want you to be mad anymore."

Cadence twisted her mouth to the side as her eyes flickered orange for a moment. "I think that can be arranged," she said. She turned her gaze to Harrison, who raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I have some things I need to ask them."

"I think that's a good idea," Harrison agreed.


	40. See You Later

**.:40:.**

* * *

"But Mom." Cadence let out a light sigh as she turned around to face her son. "Why can't we just teleport there? It'd be a lot faster." Brady pointed out as he dragged his duffle bag on the ground behind him.

"Which part of the 'I don't want to reveal my secret to the wrong person' thing do you not understand?" She asked, reaching out and ruffling his hair as he walked by her. Brady stopped and turned his pout towards her and she reached out and ruffled his hair as he moved by before reaching out and tapping his chin. "And put that lip away, it stopped working years ago."

"Fine."

All of a sudden there was a gust of wind that caused the mother's and son's hair to fly out of their faces and loose papers to fly around. Once Barry came to a stop in front of the fire metahuman gave him a funny look. He blinked in surprise and looked around for a moment before rubbing the back of his head.

"What?" He asked.

"Do you expect everyone to have paper weights lying around every place you ever go?" She asked, moving around him and stacking a box by the door.

Realizing that he hadn't angered his friend in some way, Barry laughed and remedied the situation by zipping around and gathering the papers that had been blown off of the empty coffee table. "Sorry," he apologized. "I guess this stuff is kind of important." He then took a good look around the apartment and noticed how empty it was. "What's going on?"

"We got a new place," Cadence explained. She crossed her arms, watching as Brady dropped his bag by the door and went back to his room to grab another one. "Actually, I found it a while ago." She gave him a meaningful look. "The day that you went nuts…" she trailed off and Barry nodded.

"Yeah," he replied. A light wince came across his face as he sucked in a breath between his clenched teeth. "I'm still so sorry about that."

"And again, you don't have to apologize for it. You were under the influence of a metahuman; you had no control over what you were doing. Besides, it helped let me understand that there was nothing to be ashamed of how I lived m life before and how I live my life now. So in some ways, apartment aside, it's a blessing in disguise."

"Did Roy help you find it?" He asked. When Cadence presented him with a confused glance, he lowered his hand from the back of his neck and shoved them into his jeans pockets. "I saw you, that day," he explained. "I saw you kiss him."

Now an amused smile came across Cadence's face. "Oh, that," she replied.

"I don't mean, I wasn't spying on you or anything. But I was kind of confused with the whammy and I had a moment of clarity and felt bad after I yelled at you about Iris and now being a friend…" he quickly changed the subject. "Not that there's anything wrong with kissing him or whatever, I just…well…"

She reached out a hand and pressed the palm of her hand against Barry's mouth, cutting him off. Once she was sure he was quiet, she removed her hand from his mouth. "Before you dig yourself into a deeper hole that you're desperately trying to climb out of, let me remind you that I haven't been kissed in about eight years, let alone anything else so I think I get a pass on it."

"Oh!" Barry started off on his rambling once more. "Okay. I was just wondering. You know, to make sure everything was okay. With everything. Between us and I don't mean just between us—"

"—Are they?" Cadence interrupted. She looked meaningfully at him and he let out a low breath as he thought about it. There was so much that had gone on that he needed to wrap his head around. So many things that would take some time to get through, some things he was sure he would never be able to get through. However one thing he learned growing up was there were things to hold on to and things to let go.

"I think mostly it is," Barry admitted. "But it's going to take me some time."

"I understand. That's not why you came by is it?"

"Oh! No, I heard you were two were headed off to Metropolis and I wanted to say my goodbyes. I understand that Dr. Wells, Caitlin, and Cisco already did."

"Oh yeah!" The fire metahuman laughed, gently shaking her head. "Harrison…well, that was as awkward as you think it would be. But…I think thing will be okay when we get back. He was the only one that told me the truth, you know?" Barry nodded and Cadence continued. "Caitlin made sure that I'm actually going to sit down and have a conversation with my Mom and Dad." She waved a hand. "Something about it clearing my head and making me emotionally open and blah blah blah. And Cisco…" she turned and called to Brady and he walked out of the room carrying a Polaroid and digital camera. "Gave us these cameras so whenever Superman comes around we can get a picture of him."

Barry laughed loudly. "That's Cisco for you," he replied. But there was something in his voice that grabbed Cadence's attention enough to roll her eyes.

"You want me to get pictures for you too, don't you?"

"Only if you don't mind."

"Whatever."

Brady laughed and looked up at Barry with earnest eyes. He glanced over at his mother then back towards the speedy metahuman once more. "Barry, are you here to help us move?" Barry's eyebrows furrowed together for a moment then Brady widened his eyes. A figurative light bulb flashed over Barry's head and he slowly nodded.

"Oh yeah," he agreed before nodding like a bobblehead. "I came here for that, too."

"You don't have to do to—"

Before Cadence could finish her sentence, in a flurry of wind, the rest of the apartment had been packed up, transported to their new apartment, and then unpacked. Then went back to the street in front of the apartment and transported Cadence's car over to the street in front of the new apartment, then went back to grab Brady and Cadence and zoomed them into their new place, standing them in the middle of the floor.

"That," she finished letting out a sigh. She tilted her head to the side as she gazed at the bookshelf in the living room. "That's not where I would've put that."

"Hey, I already did all of the heavy lifting, you can deal with everything else."

"Alright." Cadence patted Brady in the back. "C'mon bud, now that this is done—a _lot_ sooner than I thought it would be—we should get going to Metropolis." The expression on her face resembled one if she had sucked a lemon but it relaxed a second later as mother and son went to the door of their apartment and grabbed their bags.

"Are we at least going to teleport there?" Brady asked carrying his bag on his shoulder, his footsteps echoing along the hallways as the three went down to the street outside. At the shake of Cadence's head, he whined once more. "But Moooom, why? Do you know how long it takes to get there? I don't have nearly enough games to play on your iPad."

"So sleep, it'll at least give me some peace of mind." Cadence opened the passenger door for him and he climbed into the seat, dropping his bag to the foot well. "And because I don't want to give Dad a heart attack and kill him. And he and Mom are the only ones there that know about my powers so if I suddenly pop up in front of someone else, it won't help anyone."

"But they know about Superman," Barry pointed out.

"Don't help him, Tholly." She closed the car door to accentuate her sentence. Brady glanced at the two before reaching over to the ignition where his mother had left the keys and twisted them once. Once the car had gone on, he lowered the passenger side window to listen to their conversation.

"Tholly?" His eyebrows rose in amusement at the newest nickname that had been bestowed upon him.

"I already told you that I'm not going to call you Bare," Cadence pointed out. She then tilted her head to the side, allowing her dark hair to fall from her face as her eyes flashed mischievously. "Unless you want me to." She laughed as he flushed lightly. "You're way too easy to embarrass, you know that?"

"I've been told," he replied. "So how long as you going to be staying in Metropolis?"

"Long enough to get some things worked out, I guess." She scratched her forehead as a weary expression came onto her face. Barry really did feel for her, it would be the first time since she moved out that she'd face her parents. It couldn't be something she was particularly looking forward to. "Why? Are you planning on the Flash making an appearance over there?"

"Well that really depends."

"On?"

"If I go looking for you will I find you?" Barry asked with a teasing lift to his voice. "Maybe at the top of a tree." He grinned and jostled her shoulder with his own. "Y'know, if you don't fall out of it."

Cadence laughed lightly before rolling her eyes. "Haha. I can tell you're still bitter that I beat you." The two laughed again. She stopped spinning her keys and caught them in her palm and smiled up at him. "See you later, Flash."

"See you later, Flash Fire," Barry replied. He opened his arms and Cadence walked into them, standing on her tip-toes as the two hugged.

"Thanks for everything, Tholly." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek when she pulled back, smiling warmly at him.

A smile which he easily returned.

Gently shaking her head, Cadence opened the driver's side door and slid into the front seat. Barry reached out and closed the door behind her, stepping back as she started up the car. He waved as Brady leaned across his seat and waved at him and Cadence pulled out of the parking spot. She directed the car onto the road and started to drive away from Central City.

Barry watched them leave until the car was almost out of site. Then he grinned and used his enhanced speed to run next to the car, which felt more like a jog to him, and waved to them one last time, before veering off and heading back to STARLabs.

There was work for him to do.

 

* * *

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sequel, Crossfire, will be uploaded soon. I'm working to get all of the stories within The Flash and The Flame series uploaded so that I can crosspost at the same time from FFN to here.


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